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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions are used to provide additional information and/or statutory guidance not found in State Medicaid Director Letters, State Health Official Letters, or CMCS Informational Bulletins. The different sets of FAQs as originally released can be accessed below.

Showing 41 to 50 of 53 results

Under section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act, are clinical preventive services that receive an I or C recommendation ineligible for Medicaid coverage? Are they ineligible for the increased federal financial participation (FFP)?

Clinical preventive services that receive an I or C recommendation are eligible for Medicaid coverage. States determine medical necessity criteria, and determine whether they will cover I or C recommended services. However, United States Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) grade I and C recommended services are not eligible for the one percentage point federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) increase.

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FAQ ID:91661

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Under section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act, are clinical preventive services that receive a D recommendation ineligible for Medicaid coverage?

Clinical preventive services that receive a D recommendation are eligible for Medicaid coverage. States determine medical necessity criteria, and determine whether they will cover D recommended services. However, United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) grade D recommended services are not eligible for the one percentage point federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) increase.

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FAQ ID:91666

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When will the guidance be available for whether unlicensed practitioners will be able to furnish the Affordable Care Act section 4106 services?

"Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs: Essential Health Benefits in Alternative Benefit Plans, Eligibility Notices, Fair Hearing and Appeal Processes, and Premiums and Cost Sharing; Exchanges: Eligibility and Enrollment Final Rule" (CMS-2334-F), published in the Federal Register on 7/15/2013, conformed the regulatory definition of preventive services at § 440.130(c) with the statute relating to the issue of who can be providers of preventive services. Per the final rule, effective 1/1/2014, preventive services may be recommended by a physician or other licensed practitioner. Therefore, unlicensed practitioners will be able to furnish preventive services (including the services mentioned in section 4106), based on the recommendation of a physician or other licensed practitioner, according to the provider qualifications established by each respective state, within broad federal parameters. In order for states to receive the one percentage point federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) increase for unlicensed practitioners, it is likely that a state plan amendment updating section (13)(c) of the state plan will be necessary. Please refer to the preventive service CMCS Informational Bulletin issued on November 27, 2013 for additional information regarding adding unlicensed practitioners to the preventive services section of the state plan.

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FAQ ID:91676

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Under section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act, can CMS recommend a list of current procedural terminology (CPT) and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes to be covered for the corresponding United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) grade A and B recommendations?

While section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act states that USPSTF grade A and B services, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended vaccines and their administration must be covered to secure the one percentage point FMAP increase, it is incumbent upon state Medicaid agencies to continue to work with, and communicate to, providers concerning state-specific systems and appropriate codes. The information provided by the American Medical Association in the below link (the CPT Code Pocket Guide: Preventive services with cost-sharing waived) can be used as a starting point in creating a cross-walk from the USPSTF and ACIP recommended codes, but it is not all-inclusive.

In addition, the October 2012 State Health Official (SHO) letter, gave the below web site address for HCPCS codes effective for service dates on or after January 1, 2012, and contacts within CMS for questions regarding HCPCS codes.

http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/HCPCSReleaseCodeSets/Alpha-Numeric-HCPCS.html 

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FAQ ID:91686

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Is there a deadline for states to create a public awareness campaign under section 4004(i) of the Affordable Care Act?

While there is no deadline given in the provision for states to create public awareness campaigns to inform Medicaid beneficiaries of the preventive services covered in their state, CMS looks forward to partnering with states to develop innovative approaches. CMS is required to prepare a periodic Report to Congress including "summaries of the states' efforts to increase awareness of coverage of obesity-related services," and the next report will be submitted by January 1, 2014. As such, CMS is gathering information about states' efforts to inform the 2014 report. States may email MedicaidCHIPPrevention@cms.hhs.gov to submit information about preventive and obesity-related services public awareness efforts in their communities.

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FAQ ID:91491

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Can a state submit a state plan amendment (SPA) to implement section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act at any time?

Yes, a state may submit a SPA at any time. The one percentage point increase in federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) per the requirements outlined in section 4106 of the Affordable Care Act does not have an end date.

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FAQ ID:91511

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Based on CMS guidance, states may take up to 18 months to bring an IV&V contractor on board to perform certification tasks or align current IV&V contract to comply with CMS guidance pertaining to scope of services and financial independence. What must the state do if the IV&V contractor's start up is delayed?

IV&V contractor activities must still be performed such as checklist evaluation, artifact review and preparation of IV&V Progress Reports. The state should provide a plan and timeline for how these activities will be supported and performed until the proper IV&V contract can be either procured or aligned with updated CMS guidance on IV&V.

FAQ ID:94866

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Is IV&V required during operations and maintenance (O&M) for MMIS?

As contained in the MECT standard RFP/contract language required by CMS, CMS does not cover activities that the state may require of the IV&V contractor during ongoing O&M. However, as Medicaid is moving away from monolithic single applications, it is expected that states will continuously update and replace modules in their enterprise. Therefore, IV&V should always have a role to ensure successful integration and testing.

FAQ ID:94881

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What would preclude a company from being eligible to bid on the MMIS or E&E IV&V contract(s)?

If an organization is performing another role (such as systems integrator, PMO, quality assurance, etc.) on the MMIS or E&E project, it may not perform the IV&V function on the same project. A state may contract the same vendor to perform the IV&V role for both its E&E and MMIS projects.

FAQ ID:94886

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Why does the IV&V contractor need to sit outside the Medicaid agency?

To reduce potential conflict of interest, CMS is ensuring that states are arranging IV&V services through contracts that should be owned outside of the agency that owns the MMIS or E&E project. The oversight organization for the IV&V contractor should not be involved in oversight of the development effort, a stakeholder in the business implementation, or the DDI contractor. The IV&V contract monitor should be aware of system development problem solving, reporting, and contractor management. This contract oversight provides true independence between the IV&V contractor and system development teams. This requirement is consistent with other HHS agencies' practices and industry best practices.

FAQ ID:94891

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