Recent Releases and Announcements
CIB: Annual Re-determination of Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy Deemed Status (Re-deeming)
On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an Informational Bulletin providing information to help states understand the process and their role in ensuring that dual eligible beneficiaries have timely, affordable, and comprehensive coverage under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
Back-to-School Resources Available
Back-to-School planning is underway! The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign’s School-Based Outreach and Enrollment Toolkit has everything your organization needs for effective planning and outreach. The Toolkit includes resources for partnering with schools, tips for connecting with members of the school community, like superintendents and counselors, and strategies for including enrollment into existing school activities. The Toolkit features ready-to-use materials like message guides, templates, resource links, and offers social media graphics for Facebook and Twitter. Visit InsureKidsNow.gov for additional Back-to-School resources.
Medicaid Prevention Learning Network
The Medicaid Prevention Learning Network provides an opportunity for state Medicaid programs to engage in state-to-state learning and receive enhanced technical assistance to improve delivery of preventive health care in Medicaid and CHIP. In 2015, CMS began forming affinity groups to focus on prevention topics of common interest to states.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicaid Prevention Learning Network will offer a new affinity group to state Medicaid agencies on Medicaid and school-based health services delivery. The affinity group will explore ways to partner with schools to improve health outcomes, using the Child Quality Measures Core Set to evaluate progress. The 12-month group will provide expert moderated webinars on a broad range of topics based on the needs of participating states, one-on-one consultation and group opportunities, and a forum to interact with peers to share learnings and experiences.
- School Based Health (SBH) Affinity Group Fact Sheet (PDF, 88.85 KB) (PDF 20 bytes)
- Expression of Interest (EOI) for SBH Affinity Group Form (PDF, 206.63 KB) (PDF 20 bytes)
Behavioral Health Summit Announcement (CMS-5525-N)
CMS is announcing a meeting to discuss ideas for potential behavioral health payment and care delivery models. The all-day meeting will be held at CMS headquarters on September 8, 2017.
The Summit will provide valuable public discussion and ideas for the Innovation Center to explore potential payment model and care delivery options in the future. The CMS Innovation Center Behavioral Health Summit aims to bring together community health organizations, medical societies, patient advocacy groups, government and nongovernment agencies, and other interested parties to discuss ideas for a behavioral health model to improve access, quality, and cost of care for beneficiaries with behavioral health conditions by sharing experiences in behavioral health payment and care delivery related to the following topics:
- Substance use disorders
- Mental health and medical comorbidities
- Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Behavioral health workforce challenges
DATES: Meeting Date: This meeting will be held at 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Friday, September 8, 2017. The meeting is open to the public, but attendance is limited to the space available. Meeting Registration: Individuals must register online by 12:00 a.m. EST on August 25, 2017.
New Medicare Card Project
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is readying a fraud prevention initiative that will remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards to help combat identity theft and safeguard taxpayer dollars. CMS will begin mailing new Medicare cards in April 2018 and complete this mailing by April 2019.
To help you find information quickly, we’ve designed a new page with all the latest updates. Visit us and bookmark the page so you can get the newest details as they are released. And check out the Messaging document that we posted today to find out how we’ll be talking to people with Medicare about this change.
Upcoming Calls and Webinars
CMS Innovation Center Medicare Quality Payment Program Year 2 proposed rule –All-Payer Combination Option
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center will host an overview webinar on the Medicare Quality Payment Program Year 2 proposed rule, with a focus on the participation of non-Medicare payers including Medicaid through the All-Payer Combination Option. This event is for all CMMI model participants, their partnering providers and the general public. Join the webinar to hear CMS policy experts provide an overview of proposed All-Payer Combination Option requirements for the Quality Payment Program.
Thursday, August 3 2017 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm ET.
Audio option #1: 1-844-396-8222 Participant Code: 905 358 656
Audio option #2 and webinar
HCBS SOTA Presentation: Trends in Rate Methodologies for High-Cost, High-Volume Taxonomies –
This training will review the most frequently utilized and highest cost service taxonomy categories reported in 1915(c) HCBS waivers. Common rate setting methodologies for each taxonomy and notable approaches unique to those taxonomies will also be discussed. Lewis & Ellis with assistance from Navigant Consulting is currently the training lead through the Rate Review Multi-Award Contract overseen by the Division of Long Term Services & Supports (DLTSS). Lewis & Ellis and Navigant Consulting will present the training and Ralph Lollar, DLTSS Division Director, and the DLTSS Team will
support the training and lead the Q&A Session. State fiscal staff are encouraged to participant in this training.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017 1:30 – 3:00 pm ET
To join the call (via computer or WebEx app) and webinar:
- Go to the webinar
- Enter your name and email address (or registration ID).
- Enter the session password: This session does not require a password.
- Click "Join Now".
- Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
Option #2” To join Toll Free and follow along with slide deck:
- Dial: 1-844-396-8222 Your WebEx Meeting Number: 908 621 799
- Follow the instructions you hear on the phone.