Primary Docs Can Get Medicaid Pay Raise

The Affordable Care Act calls for selected primary care providers to receive an increase in their Medicaid fees during calendar years 2013 and 2014.
The pay raise, which seeks to bring Medicaid fees to the same level as Medicare rates, is intended to induce more primary care providers to serve Medicaid patients in anticipation of the increase in Medicaid enrollment expected when the Affordable Care Act takes full effect.
Eligible providers must complete a form attesting to their eligibility for the pay raise and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has issued the form and instructions for completing it.  Find both the form and the instructions hereHealth Benefits Claim Form.

2013-06-27T06:00:15+00:00June 27th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on Primary Docs Can Get Medicaid Pay Raise

DPW Announces Revisions of Medicaid Fee Schedule

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has published a notice of its intention to implement changes in the Medicaid fee schedule and to update selected prior authorization requirements.
Those notices are published here, in the June 22 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin, and the changes took effect on June 24.
DPW also published a Medical Assistance Bulletin on the procedure code updates and a table showing the updates.  Find the bulletin here and the table here.

2013-06-26T06:00:45+00:00June 26th, 2013|Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on DPW Announces Revisions of Medicaid Fee Schedule

PA Announces Plans for Increased Medicaid Fees

The Department of Public Welfare has unveiled its plan for increasing the fees it pays for Medicaid primary care services in 2013 and 2014.  The limited-term pay increase, which will raise Medicaid primary care payments to Medicare levels, is mandated by the Affordable Care Act.
A Pennsylvania Bulletin notice that addresses how and when the fee increases will be paid, and to whom they will be paid, can be found here.
The revised fee schedule with the new, higher fees can be found here.

2013-05-29T06:00:17+00:00May 29th, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on PA Announces Plans for Increased Medicaid Fees

DPW Establishes Exceptions to Monthly Prescription Limit

Since January of last year, Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance program has limited categorically needy adult recipients over the age of 21 to six prescriptions a month.
While Medical Assistance has established a process for seeking exceptions to this limit, the Department of Public Welfare has now published a new MA Bulletin that lists exceptions that will automatically be granted.
Find that list in thisBookshelf with law books MA Bulletin.

2013-05-03T06:00:51+00:00May 3rd, 2013|Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on DPW Establishes Exceptions to Monthly Prescription Limit

Medicaid Expansion Would Boost PA’s Economy and Save Money, New Report Says

Expanding Medicaid eligibility as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act would boost the state’s economy and save state government money, according to a new study.
In the report “Economic and Fiscal Impact of Medicaid Expansion in Pennsylvania,” the Pennsylvania Economy League and the PA Health Funders Collaborative concluded that Medicaid expansion in the state would generate $4.4 billion in state government savings, bring $32 billion of new federal government money into the state’s economy, support as many as 40,000 new jobs and $3.6 billion in new tax revenue, and have a positive fiscal impact of more than $5 billion.
The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania supports Medicaid expansion in the state.
Read the entire report here, on the web site of the Pennsylvania Economy League.

2013-04-26T06:00:07+00:00April 26th, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off on Medicaid Expansion Would Boost PA’s Economy and Save Money, New Report Says

DPW Updates Fee Schedule

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has updated its Medical Assistance fee-for-service fee schedule for a variety of physician services, podiatrist services, surgical services, and more.
See a complete list of changes here, in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

2013-04-23T06:00:49+00:00April 23rd, 2013|Pennsylvania Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on DPW Updates Fee Schedule

DPW Publishes DSH Notice

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has published a notice detailing its final allocations for FY 2013 for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments (Medicaid DSH) for OB/neonatal intensive care services, trauma services, burn centers, academic medical centers, critical access hospitals, and selected other limited groups of providers.
Read the Pennsylvania Bulletin notice here.

2013-04-16T06:00:25+00:00April 16th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on DPW Publishes DSH Notice

Path to FY 2013 EHR Payments Set

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has published Medical Assistance Bulletins that explain to providers how to pursue their Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments for FY 2013.
The bulletin for eligible hospitals can be found here and the bulletin for eligible physicians and other providers can be found hereBookshelf with law books.

2013-02-11T06:00:17+00:00February 11th, 2013|Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on Path to FY 2013 EHR Payments Set

PA Proposes Changes In Medicaid Eligibility System

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has asked the federal government for permission to make changes in its Medicaid eligibility system.
The request, submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this month, meets a federal deadline that will enable the state to gain federal matching funds to help pay for the upgrade.
Learn more about the state’s request and why it was submitted in this Central Penn Business Journal articleHealth Benefits Claim Form.

2013-02-05T06:00:26+00:00February 5th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on PA Proposes Changes In Medicaid Eligibility System

PA Prepares to Boost Medicaid Primary Care Rates

Pennsylvania will soon begin paying primary care providers more for the services they deliver to their Medical Assistance patients.
Under the Affordable Care Act, state Medicaid programs are required to pay primary care providers Medicare-level fees for calendar years 2013 and 2014.  This policy was adopted as part of a broader effort to recruit more physicians to serve Medicaid patients at a time when Medicaid enrollment will increase significantly in most states.
Now, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is presenting its plan for how it will go about implementing this federal requirement.
DPW has issued a new Medical Assistance Bulletin titled “Medical Assistance Program Fee for Select Primary Care Services and Physician Attestation Form” that identifies eligible providers and explains how they can go about receiving the enhanced payments.  That bulletin can be found here.  DPW also has issued an attestation form through which providers can assert their eligibility for the enhanced payments; that form, and directions for completing and submitting it, can be found here.

2013-01-29T06:00:39+00:00January 29th, 2013|Health care reform, Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off on PA Prepares to Boost Medicaid Primary Care Rates
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