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- Regan Pennypacker on Latest Audit Enforcement Actions Issued by CMS
- Kathleen Chapman on 2019 Medicare Advantage Rate Announcement & Call Letter
- Michelle Juhanson on Latest Audit Enforcement Actions Issued by CMS
- Alan Mittermaier on MA and Part D Proposed Rule Increases Plan Flexibility, Reduces Regulatory Burden
- Sharon Willliams on A New Source of Capital for Star Ratings and Clinical Innovations
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The Voice of Elena Martin
CMS June Network Submission Deadline Fast Approaching
In early February, there was a bit of a scramble when several plans received notices they had approximately a week to submit their Health Service Delivery (HSD) tables for a network adequacy review. Fortunately, for some, the communication should have indicated the gates were open for plans wanting to test adequacy and receive technical feedback. While it was a stressful 24 hours pending the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) response on the notice, we hope the false alarm sparked the much needed jump-start to ensure a compliant network adequacy monitoring program is in place.
CMS Reports Medicare Advantage Provider Directories Continue to be Plagued with Inaccuracies
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its Round Two online provider directory review, and the results were dismal. Plans reviewed showed an overall inaccuracy average higher than Year One plans. We can try to marginalize the results and say the average inaccuracy found by location was 48%. Nevertheless, the fact remains that nearly half of all directory locations reviewed were inaccurate. Breaking it down further, the inaccuracies ranged from 11% to 97.82%. We are living in an age of tech-savvy consumerism. If our GPS or Google results proved incorrect half of the time, we would not be satisfied. If results proved correct less than 3% of the time, we would be outraged.
CMS Announces Changes to the Network Review Process for Medicare Advantage Organizations
As anticipated, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) move to network adequacy reviews on a three-year cycle, unless there is a triggering event that would reset the timing of a Medicare Advantage Organization’s triennial review.
Provider Network Management New Year’s Resolutions for 2018
Many of you and your teams are in the frantic, end-of-year trenches renegotiating current provider agreements or working on contracting new providers for a service area expansion, and it is easy to lose sight of all the changes swirling around the provider network arena. As we head into 2018, we would encourage you to incorporate these three key items into your Provider Network Management Department’s performance appraisal goals.
Three-Year Network Adequacy Review for Medicare Advantage Plans
If the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) knocked on your door today, would you be ready to submit a compliant provider network within 60 days? CMS estimates the proposed three-year network adequacy review for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would mean just that for approximately 304 MA plans for calendar year 2019.
New Challenges in Network Development
The summer sun is shining and vacation season is in full swing! While our Health Plan Network and Product teams are taking a few deep breaths after application and bid filing deadlines, we cannot rest on our laurels for very long. Summer is the best time to start planning your next service area expansion (SAE) or even your first step into the Medicare Advantage (MA) world. Maybe you are an established MA plan evaluating where to expand your geographic footprint. Maybe you are a Medicaid plan looking to expand into the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) arena and are wondering what it would take to have a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) so many of the MLTSS Requests for Proposal (RFPs) are expecting; or maybe you are an Accountable Care Organization looking to leverage your infrastructure and enter the payer world. Now is the perfect time to start planning for your 2018 and 2019 network needs. Regardless of the size and scope of the organization, your plan’s network adequacy and accessibility is a cornerstone of any new initiative. And, Plans need to be even more vigilant in managing their largest asset
Network Exceptions: Why Coordination Between Provider Network Operations & Compliance is Key
As we approach the holiday weekend, health plan Network and Product teams alike are breathing a sigh of relief after the fireworks that came along with this year’s network exception process, application, and bid filing deadlines.
