Department of Public Welfare Archives - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

DPW to Launch New Claims Review Process

Come fall, the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare (DPW) will introduce a new system that performs an automated review of Medical Assistance claims before the state pays those claims.
The new system employs a computer program called InvestiClaim that will review claims for procedure or diagnosis codes with inadequate medical documentation, duplicate claims, provider types, license numbers, and other considerations.
The state projects that this new system will save $5 million a year.
The future use of a system to review claims prior to payment was included in Governor Corbett’s original Medical Assistance budget proposal for FY 2013.
Read more about InvestiClaim and how it will work in this PA Independent article .

PA Safety Net Admin2012-08-31T09:49:48+00:00August 31st, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

DPW Secretary Shares Views on Medicaid Program

In an extensive interview with the Central Penn Business Journal, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Secretary Gary Alexander shared his views on the state’s Medicaid program, the changes he would like to see, and the challenges the state faces in the immediate future.
Among the issues Alexander addressed are his desire to have greater flexibility to operate the state’s Medical Assistance program; the state’s prospects for expanding Medicaid eligibility as called for in the Affordable Care Act; his concern that greater access will increase rather than decrease uncompensated care and emergency room use; his interest in greater transparency for health care costs and quality; and his fight against fraud, waste, and abuse.
Read the complete Central Penn Business Journal interview with Secretary Alexander here .

PA Safety Net Admin2012-08-21T06:00:48+00:00August 21st, 2012|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

DPW Updates Dependence Treatment Procedures

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has issued a new Medical Assistance Bulletin updating its procedures for seeking prior authorization for opiate dependence treatment.
The new bulletin, which can be found here, applies to all licensed pharmacies and prescribers enrolled in the state’s Medical Assistance program that provide services through the Medical Assistance fee-for-service program.
An update of the Medical Assistance handbook for prior authorization of these services can be found here .
The new policy takes effect on September 10.

PA Safety Net Admin2012-08-10T06:00:06+00:00August 10th, 2012|Meetings and notices, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Uncategorized|Comments Off

EHR Use Growing in State Medicaid Program

Roughly one in four Pennsylvania Medical Assistance recipients visited providers last year that used electronic health record (EHR) technology to help manage their health care information.
According to the Department of Public Welfare (DPW), the state has now distributed $130 million in federal EHR incentive payments to 90 hospitals and more than 3000 health care professionals.
Read more about the growing use of EHR technology and the availability of federal funds to support the use of that technology in this Central Penn Business Journal article .

PA Safety Net Admin2012-07-30T06:00:59+00:00July 30th, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

DPW Announces Fee Schedule Changes, More

The Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has announced changes in the Medical Assistance fee schedule and prior authorization requirements. To read a notice describing these changes and find a list of affected procedure codes, see this notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

PA Safety Net Admin2012-06-25T06:00:41+00:00June 25th, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

PA to Discontinue Quality Incentive Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is discontinuing its Hospital Quality Incentive Pilot Program. The program had been “established to provide and reward a hospital’s performance on various quality related measures” in the state’s Medical Assistance program.
Read a formal notice of the termination of this program, and the state’s Hospital Quality Care Investment Grant Program, in this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice .

PA Safety Net Admin2012-06-22T11:28:16+00:00June 22nd, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

News from the Pennsylvania Health Law Project

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has issued its May 2012 newsletter. Included in it are articles on the expanded use of HealthChoices in the Medical Assistance program; information about proposed changes in the Medical Assistance Transportation Program; an update on limits on Medicaid recipients’ use of prescription drugs; the removal of children from the state’s Medicaid rolls; and the 2013 increase in Medicaid payments for primary care providers.
Download the May edition of Health Law PA News, the newsletter of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project, here .

PA Safety Net Admin2012-06-07T06:00:24+00:00June 7th, 2012|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

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