Complaints Grow Over Medicare Advantage Plans
AMS continues to receive more complaints related to Medicare Advantage (MA) carriers than any other type of health plan. Physicians are reminded that participation in these plans is voluntary and you would do well to periodically review any MA provider contract you have and make an informed decision…
Medicaid Enrollment Problems Continue
AMS has been monitoring the continuing problems at DHS's Division of County Operations (DCO) that have resulted in a monumental backlog of enrollment problems. Pregnant women and children seem to be the most impacted with some clinics reporting enrollment delays of six or more months. The problem stems…
(S)aying (G)ood (R)iddance
No, you weren't dreaming. Congress really did get rid of SGR. So, now what? After twelve years and seventeen patches and eighteen years after the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 brought us the flawed SGR, we can say good riddance! Senate and House members from both sides of…
Medicaid Enrollment Problems
The Division of County Operations (DCO) recently implemented a new system, CURAM, to process Medicaid applications and determine eligibility. The new system has incurred technical problems which is slowing the process of issuing applicant Medicaid ID numbers. John Selig, DHS Director, and Delia Anderson, DCO Director, have established…
What’s new with Arkansas Medicaid?
Claims submitted without ICD-10 codes on or after 10/01/15 will not be paid. All claims submitted to Arkansas Medicaid for dates of service on and after 10/01/15 must bill using ICD-10 codes. Claims that do not bill ICD-10 codes will be denied and you will not be paid…
Ax-it option is in, Medicaid’s reviewers told
Article by ANDY DAVIS, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 1, 2015 An advisory group studying Arkansas’ Medicaid program should explore alternatives that include giving up the more than $ 1 billion in federal funding the state receives annually to provide coverage to more than 200,000 low- income adults, Gov. Asa…
CONGRESS REPEALS SGR … BELIEVE IT OR NOT!
Tuesday, April 14, on a bipartisan vote of 92 to 8, the Senate passed H.R. 2, the "Medicare Access and Chip Reauthorization Act," or MACRA. All six members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation supported this legislation. The measure replaces the Medicare SGR formula for physician payments in place…
Supreme Court rules providers cannot sue states for higher Medicaid rates.
The Washington Post (4/1, Barnes) reports that the Supreme Court “narrowly ruled” Tuesday “that neither the Constitution nor federal law authorizes doctors and other health-care providers to go to court to enforce the law’s directive that the reimbursement rates set by states be ‘sufficient to enlist enough providers…
SGR Action and Claims Hold Update
"Very early on the morning of March 27, after completing a lengthy round of votes on the budget resolution, a handful of Senators blocked efforts to reach agreement on the rules for debate on H.R. 2, the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act,” which passed the House on…
U.S. Senate’s failure to move Medicare forward causes more uncertainty for our nation’s patients
“The American Medical Association (AMA) is extremely disappointed that the U.S. Senate did not vote on the Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MICRA) before leaving for recess today. Their failure to act leaves physicians facing a devastating 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements when the current Sustainable Growth…
U.S. House overwhelmingly passes legislation to permanently repeal the SGR
We've never been so close! Just moments ago, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation that would permanently repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula before the current Medicare payment patch expires on March 31. Now it's the U.S. Senate's turn to act, and time is…