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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the expectations for states in implementing telephonic applications as required by the statute at section 1413(b)(1)(A) and regulations at 42 CFR 435.907?
The statute and regulations require that states provide individuals several channels through which they can apply for Medicaid and CHIP coverage - by mail, in person, on line and over the telephone. Following are some guiding principles for administering telephonic applications based on successful strategies many states have in place today.
- Accepting a Telephonic Application - States may develop their own processes for accepting and adjudicating telephonic applications. The process for accepting applications by phone must be designed to gather data into a sufficient format that will be accessible for account transfer to the appropriate insurance affordability program. For example, a customer service representative could verbally communicate application questions to the applicant, while electronically filling out the online version of the single streamlined application.
- Voice Signatures - All applications must be signed (under penalty of perjury) in order to complete an eligibility determination. In the case of telephonic applications, states must have a process in place to assist individuals in applying by phone and be able to accept telephonically recorded signatures at the time of application submission. If applicable, states can maintain their current practices of audio recording and accepting voice signatures as required for identity proofing.
- Records and Storage - Upon request, states must be able to provide individuals with a record of their completed application, including all information used to make the eligibility determination. As such, CMS recommends that states record all telephonic applications. This may be accomplished by taping the complete application transaction as an audio file, or by producing a written transcript of the application transaction, among other options. The length of storage of these records should comply with current regulations on application storage.
- Confirmations and Receipts - States should provide a confirmation receipt documenting the telephonic application to the applicant. Such confirmation should be provided upon submission of the application or at any time the applicant wishes to end the customer representative interaction. Confirmation receipts can be delivered via electronic or paper mail (based on the applicant's preference). Confirmation receipts must include key information for applicants, including but not limited to the application summary, the eligibility determination summary page, a copy of the attestations/rights and responsibilities and the submission date of the signed application.
- This FAQ was released as part of a larger set. View the full set. (PDF, 295.71 KB)
FAQ ID:92156
SHARE URLDoes CMS require states to submit their 2019 Upper Payment Limit (UPL) demonstrations using the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved templates for Inpatient Hospital services (IPH), Outpatient Hospital services (OPH), and Nursing Facility services (NF) UPLs?
Yes, CMS requires states to use all of the OMB approved templates for their 2019 (07/01/2018 to 06/30/2019) UPL demonstrations submitted to meet the annual UPL reporting requirement and with State Plan Amendment (SPA) submissions. When submitting UPL demonstrations, use the following naming convention: UPL_<UPL Demo Date Range>_<Service Type Abbreviation>_R<Region Number>_<State Abbreviation>_<Workbook Number>.xls. Here is an example of the naming convention: UPL_20170701-20180630_IP_R01_CT_01.xls.
FAQ ID:92196
SHARE URLShould the period of time covered by the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) demonstration be tied to the state's fiscal year?
No, CMS does not require any particular starting point within the fiscal year for the UPL demonstrations. This allows states the flexibility to develop UPL demonstrations that are tied to the provider payment periods described in the state plan payment methodologies for each service. For instance, if a state submits a state plan amendment to update provider payments as of October 1 of each year, the state would document that the SPA changes comply with the UPL for the period 10/1 - 9/30 of that payment year. The UPL must represent the entire payment year. Since UPL demonstrations usually rely on historic data that is projected into a payment year, this is consistent with past practices.
FAQ ID:92226
SHARE URLCan states that pay for inpatient hospital services using Diagnosis Related Grous (DRGs), but historically used a cost-based UPL, continue to use the cost-based Upper Payment Limit (UPL) method?
Yes, states may use UPL methodologies that are different from their payment methodologies. For example, a state may pay for inpatient hospital services using a Medicaid APR-DRG methodology, but use a cost methodology to compute the Medicare upper payment limit for its UPL demonstration.
FAQ ID:92386
SHARE URLThis table indicates what reports are available to CMS Users. These can be found under the "Reports" tab.
Report Name |
Description |
Available For |
Clock Status Report |
View the regulatory clock statuses |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin CMS Report Admin, |
State Agency Profile Report |
Overview of a State's Medicaid Plan including the prior 12 months' submission package history |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, CSA, SRT |
Submission Detail Report |
View details on packages by date |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, SME, PA, PD,SRRVW, SRT |
Submission Statistics Detail Report |
View all Submission Packages currently in review |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, SME, PA, PD, SRRVW, SRT |
Submission Statistics Summary Report |
View summary of Submission Packages in a specific review status within a specified date range. |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, SME, PA, PD,SRRVW, SRT |
Submission Summary Report |
Overview of submitted packages by date |
CPOC, CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, SME, PA, PD,SRRVW, SRT |
Staff Workload Report |
View the number of Submission Packages assigned to each CPOC and SRT member, as of the report run date. |
CMS Disapproval Coordinator, SRT Admin, CMS Report Admin, CSA |
FAQ ID:92871
SHARE URLWhat is the Review Tool Report?
The Review Tool Report is a feature CPOCs, SRTs, Senior Reviewers, Package Approvers, Package Disapprovers, and CMS Report Admins can utilize to see Package Reviewable Units, Reviewers, Reviewable Unit Assessment Values, and Notes.
Log in as CMS Point of Contact or Submission Review Team member. Under the "Records" tab, select "Submission Packages". Then select the link to the submission package. In the left panel, select "Review Tool Report". You may sort the reviews of all Review Team members by Package Reviewable Unit, Reviewer, Reviewable Unit Assessment Value, or Note/Assessments by utilizing the drop-down boxes. You also have the ability to export this report to Excel by selecting "Export to Excel."
FAQ ID:92876
SHARE URLWhat is the purpose of each Analyst Note Type?
Analyst Notes are a form of brief internal communication for the CMS Review Team. These notes are a part of the official record; however, State users are not able to see these notes. Analyst Notes are part of the Review Tool for each Reviewable Unit and the SRT or CPOC may view the notes from other Review Team members (depending on the type of note) within the Review Tool, and add his/her own notes.
The CMS Point of Contact or Submission Review Team members may add Analysts Notes through the Review Tool. The types of notes available are referenced in a table below. You will start by logging in as the CMS Point of Contact or Submission Review Team member, then going to the "Records" tab. Under the "Records" tab select "Submission Packages" and then select the link to the package. In the left panel select "Analyst Notes". You will then have the ability to search notes entered by Review Team Members.
Analyst Note Type | Description | Visible By |
Note to self | Private note for self only | Self |
For POC (Formal Review) | Indicates information that should be included in disposition | CPOC |
For Review Team | For other Review Team members | CPOC and SRT |
For RAI | Indicates something that requires RAI | CPOC and SRT |
For Correspondence Log | Indicates information that should be communicated to the SPOC | CPOC and SRT |
Non SRT-User | Note on behalf of a CMS participant outside of the Review Team | CPOC and SRT |
General Note | A note that doesn't fall into another category | All |
Justification | Provides bases for a recommended disposition | POC Admin, CPOC and SRT |
Post-Recommendation | Included by other CMS users during the package disposition review | POC Admin, CPOC and SRT |
FAQ ID:92881
SHARE URLCertain fields within the reviewable units seem misaligned, how do I fix this issue?
If certain fields are misaligned you may need to adjust your compatibility settings. Click the Tools button in the upper right side of your screen, and then click Compatibility View settings. Next click the Add button. The website is added to your Compatibility View and the screen will realign. You can always remove the website by clicking on the website in the list and clicking the Remove button. If an issue persists, please email the MACPro Help Desk at MACPro_HelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov
FAQ ID:92886
SHARE URLHow do I print a Quality Measures report?
- Select "Records" from the navigation panel at the top of the screen.
- Select the appropriate Quality Measure from the Records list.
- Select the specific report to be displayed.
- Once the report is displayed, in the left hand menu, click on "Report Data". This will direct you to the Admin Screen where you can find a list of all core measures.
- Select a core measure. You may then expand each field you would like to print within the Core Measure by scrolling down the page and selecting the +/- button.
- To print, use the browser print function. First navigate to the "File" tab. Select "Page Setup".
- In the "Page Setup" box, set all "Headers"; and all "Footers" to empty using the drop down menus. Please note that this is a one-time step that does not have to be done for subsequent print operations.
- Next, use the browser print function by navigating to the "File" tab and then selecting "Print". You may also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+P. This will print the core measure data to your printer.
FAQ ID:92946
SHARE URLIs there a way to attach additional information or appendices to give to a state?
Yes, at the end of a Seek More Information Request (SMI), there is an Upload Documents section where you can include more information for states.
FAQ ID:92951
SHARE URL