Pennsylvania Medicaid policy Archives - Page 14 of 43 - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its March 2017 newsletter.
Included in this edition are stories about:

new starting dates for the beginning of new HealthChoices physical health contracts
an update on Community HealthChoices, the state’s planned program of managed long-term services and supports for those who qualify for nursing home care but wish to continue living independently in the community
the launch of the state’s ABLE Savings Program through which children and adults with significant disabilities can open special state-sponsored investment accounts
the introduction of a new assessment tool for people in need of substance disorder treatment

Find the latest edition of PA Health Law News here.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-04-06T06:00:52+00:00April 6th, 2017|HealthChoices, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

CMS Clarifies Medicaid DSH Rule

Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a final rule addressing the treatment of third-party payers in calculating Medicaid uncompensated care costs. This calculation affects individual hospitals’ Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) limit.
According to CMS,

This rule clarifies federal requirements regarding the treatment of third party payers in determining the hospital-specific Medicaid DSH payment limit, which is set by statute as a hospital’s “uncompensated costs” incurred in providing hospital services to Medicaid and uninsured patients.

The final rule makes clearer our existing policy that uncompensated costs include only those costs for Medicaid eligible individuals that remain after accounting for all payments received by or on behalf of Medicaid eligible individuals, including Medicare and other third party payments. This is consistent with the statutory requirements governing Medicaid DSH and applicable limits.

All Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals receive Medicaid DSH payments.
See the full rule here.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-04-04T06:00:05+00:00April 4th, 2017|Federal Medicaid issues, Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off

Presentation on Value-Based Purchasing in PA Medicaid

Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program is moving toward greater use of value-based purchasing in its Medicaid behavioral health programs.
Last week, the state’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services held a webinar to offer information about the state’s plan for employing value-based purchasing in Medicaid and how it will do so for behavioral health services in particular. Go here to see the presentation delivered at that webinar.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-04-03T11:38:31+00:00April 3rd, 2017|HealthChoices, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

PA Proposes Changes in County Assistance Office Operations

The manner in which Pennsylvania operates its county assistance offices would change under a new proposal from the Department of Human Services that was included in Governor Wolf’s proposed FY 2018 budget.
Under the plan, the state would consolidate county assistance office back-office operations in five new regional processing centers. While every county will have what DHS is calling a county assistance office “presence,” the new approach would lead to the lay-off of 70 of the county assistance office program’s nearly 7000 employees.
The process of determining Medicaid eligibility in Pennsylvania either begins or works its way through the state’s county assistance offices.
Learn more about the proposal to change some aspects of county assistance office operations in this DHS notice.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-03-21T06:00:22+00:00March 21st, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

PA Takes Steps to Fight Opioid Epidemic

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has announced new steps designed to combat opioid abuse within the state’s Medicaid population.
Among those steps are ensuring that only providers registered with the state’s Medicaid program can prescribe opioids and fill opioid prescriptions for Medicaid patients; monitoring the opioid-prescribing practices of participating Medicaid providers and taking actions when those practices are inappropriate; introducing new opioid prescribing guidelines; improving access to naloxone to fight opioid overdoses; expanding drug treatment programs; and more.
To learn more, see this news release from the office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-03-15T06:00:56+00:00March 15th, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its February 2017 newsletter.
Included in this edition are stories about:

the potential implications of turning Medicaid into a block grant program
the governor’s proposed FY 2018 budget
a new federal requirement that hospitals must inform Medicare patients if they are designated as hospitalized under “observation status”
counseling services available through PA LINKs

Find the latest edition of PA Health Law News here.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-03-02T12:21:18+00:00March 2nd, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2018 budget|Comments Off

Medicaid Directors Look at Value-Based Purchasing

One of the tools many states are using to attempt to reduce their Medicaid costs and improve the quality of the care delivered to their Medicaid beneficiaries is value-based purchasing.
In a new issue brief, the National Association of Medicaid Directors takes a closer look at Medicaid value-based purchasing: what it is, how it works, why it is attractive to state Medicaid programs, what alternative payment models the states are employing as part of their value-based purchasing efforts, and what state Medicaid programs need from the federal government to continue such efforts.
Pennsylvania is in the process of introducing more value-based purchasing into its Medicaid program, doing so through new contracts currently being negotiated with the managed care organizations recently chosen to serve the state’s Medicaid population through the HealthChoices physical health program.
For a closer look at Medicaid value-based purchasing, go here to read the National Association of Medicaid Directors’ issue brief “Medicaid Value-based Purchasing: What Is It & Why Does It Matter?”

PA Safety Net Admin2017-02-17T06:00:19+00:00February 17th, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Changing Medicaid

House Chamber of the State House With policy-makers in Washington considering some changes, and possibly major changes, in the state/federal Medicaid partnership, the Health Affairs Blog has taken a look at some of the options those policy-makers might consider.
Among them are:

giving states greater flexibility in the design and implementation of their own Medicaid programs
requiring cost-sharing by some or all beneficiaries, such as through premiums and co-payments
limiting benefits
employing incentives to encourage healthy behaviors

The article also considers the manner in which individuals enroll in Medicaid and how that has evolved over the years.
Because Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals care for so many low-income and Medicaid patients, they could be affected by any major federal Medicaid policy changes far more than the typical Pennsylvania hospital.
Learn more about some of the options Congress will have as it looks at possible Medicaid reform in the Health Affairs Blog article “The Future Of Medicaid: When Improving Upon The Wheel, Start With Something Round,” which can be found here.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-02-16T06:00:00+00:00February 16th, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania safety-net hospitals|Comments Off

Governor Proposes FY 2018 Budget

On Tuesday Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf unveiled his proposed FY 2018 budget to the state’s General Assembly.
This budget proposal includes a number of provisions with potential implications for Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals.
The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania has prepared a detailed review of those provisions. Officials of safety-net hospitals who would like to receive a copy of this memo may request one by using the “contact us” link on the upper right-hand corner of this screen.
Find a news release from the governor’s office that outlines the proposed budget here and go here (scroll to the bottom of the screen) for links to budget overviews, the entire budget itself, the Wolf administration’s presentation on its plan to consolidate Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Department of Aging, and Department of Drug and Alcohol Services into a single new Department of Health and Human Services, and other related materials.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-02-10T06:00:00+00:00February 10th, 2017|Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania Medical Assistance, Pennsylvania proposed FY 2018 budget|Comments Off

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its January 2017 newsletter.
Included in this edition are stories about:

impending changes in the lineup of managed care providers that serve Medicaid participants in the state’s HealthChoices program for physical health services;
the status of the state’s implementation of its Community HealthChoices program of managed long-term services and supports for low-income, elderly Pennsylvanians who seek to continue living independently in the community;
the potential impact of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act on Pennsylvanians; and
Pennsylvania’s receipt of a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic demonstration grant from the federal government to improve services and care coordination for individuals on Medicaid or CHIP.

Go here for the latest edition of PA Health Law News.

PA Safety Net Admin2017-02-08T17:39:17+00:00February 8th, 2017|Affordable Care Act, HealthChoices PA, Pennsylvania Medicaid, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

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