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
Must the Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment take place in the home?
Yes, the assessment for the LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure is required to take place in the member’s home as a face-to-face discussion unless certain exceptions are met. These exceptions include circumstances in which:
- The member was offered an in-home assessment and refused the in-home assessment (either refused to allow the care manager into the home or requested a telephone assessment instead of an in-home assessment).
- The member is residing in an acute or post-acute care facility (hospital, skilled nursing facility, other post-acute care facility) during the assessment time period.
- The state policy, regulation, or other state guidance excludes the member from a requirement for in-home assessment.
FAQ ID:89086
SHARE URLWhat if a Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) member refuses an LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment?
There must be documentation of the refusal, which would result in exclusion from the measure. The rate of exclusion due to a member refusing to participate should also be reported along with the measure performance rate.
FAQ ID:89101
SHARE URLWhat if a Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) member could not be reached for an LTSS Comprehensive Assessment and Update measure assessment?
There must be documentation that at least three attempts were made to reach the member, and that the member could not be reached, which would result in exclusion from the measure. The rate of exclusion due to inability to reach a member should also be reported along with the measure performance rate.
FAQ ID:89106
SHARE URLWhen a facility has been in operation for the dates of service covered by the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) demonstration, can a state demonstrate the UPL by using less than 12 months of data?
In accordance with Medicare cost reporting, the state must use 12 months of cost data reported by each facility. With regard to payment data, the state should use actual amounts, to the extent available, then calculate a claims completion factor based on historic utilization. The state’s UPL submission must include an explanation of its methodology to estimate payments. The use of a claims completion factor provides a reasonable estimate of the amount that Medicare would pay for these services, consistent with the UPL as defined at 42 CFR 447.272.
FAQ ID:92446
SHARE URLWhat data should my state provide to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the annual Upper Payment Limit demonstrations?
Effective state fiscal year 2020, each state must submit a complete data set of payments to Medicaid providers, including providers paid at cost, as well as critical access hospitals. This would require states to submit cost and payment data to CMS that previously was not requested.
FAQ ID:92456
SHARE URLHow will the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) disseminate the list of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes subject to the federal financial participation (FFP) limit each year?
Annually, CMS will request a list of covered durable medical equipment HCPCS codes from the Medicare Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding Contractor. Once the list is received, CMS will distribute the list through the CMS Regional Office Associate Regional Administrator.
FAQ ID:93671
SHARE URLStates have raised concerns around the federal financial participation (FFP) limit demonstration due date because they may not have received all durable medical equipment (DME) claims from providers at the point demonstrations are due. How may a state ensure compliance with the FFP limit without allowing for a claims run-out period.
To address claims run-out and ensure compliance with the FFP limit, we recommend states with these concerns conduct interim FFP limit demonstrations for DME no later than three months after the end of the calendar year for the previous calendar year (that is, January 1-December 31). The interim DME FFP limit demonstration will be due by March 31 of each calendar year and will contain data for the period of January 1 to December 31 of the preceding year. The final demonstration would be due one year later on March 31 and include all claims received during the run-out period dates of service within the interim demonstration period. The interim demonstration process should provide states with an understanding of potential violations of the FFP to make any necessary budgeting and rate changes. This method is being used to allow provide for a reasonable claims run out period as allowed under 42 CFR 424.44, which states that claims must be filed no later than one calendar year after the date of service.
FAQ ID:93676
SHARE URLWhat is reuse?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expects states receiving Federal Financial Participation to share with other states project artifacts, documents and other related materials, and systems components and code for leverage and reuse.
Read the state Medicaid director letter (SMD #18-005) on reuse (PDF, 70.77 KB). Reuse can be accomplished through sharing or acquiring:
- An entire set of business services or systems, including shared hosting of a system or shared acquisition and management of a turnkey service
- A complete business service or a stand-alone system module
- Subcomponents such as code segments, rule bases, configurations, customizations, and other parts of a system or module that are designed for reuse
FAQ ID:93631
SHARE URLHow do states get started with reuse?
To get started with reuse, a state can:
- Review the state Medicaid director letter (SMD #18-005) on reuse (PDF, 70.77 KB)
- View the introductory video to get familiar with the concept and framework of reuse
- Contact the Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) at MES@cms.hhs.gov to request access to the MES Reuse Repository
FAQ ID:93636
SHARE URLWhat is the Reuse Repository, and how can states access it?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) Reuse Repository to support states’ ability to share and reuse project life cycle artifacts. The repository is available on the CMS zONE (Opportunity to Network and Engage). States must have a CMS Enterprise Identity Management login to access the Reuse Repository.
View complete instructions for accessing the Reuse Repository.
Contact MES at MES@cms.hhs.gov for additional assistance in accessing the repository.
FAQ ID:93641
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