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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 1 to 10 of 19 results

Does 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

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How do I view approved State Plan Content with current, previous, or future effective dates?

Under the "Records" tab, select "Medicaid State Plan". Next, search for a state using the search feature in the left panel. Select the blue link for your State Plan. On the next screen you will be able to see past, current and future Health Homes Programs.

FAQ ID:92856

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What main functions can my role perform?

Primary Role Definition
CMS Package Disapprover (PD)
  • Disapproves packages
  • This role is for Central Office users
Office of Strategic Operations & Regulatory Affairs (OSORA)
  • Coordinates communication for disapproval process between CMS Offices
  • Informs CMS Point of Contact and CMS Point of Contact Admin of package clearance and documentation completion
CMS Senior Management (SrMGR)
  • Evaluates recommended disposition
  • Reviews recommended disposition of disapproval and disapproval justification
CMS Package Approver (PA)
  • Approves Medicaid SPA Packages
  • Each user with this role can be associated to one Regional Office at a time or to Central Office
CMS Point of Contact Administrator (POC Admin)
  • Oversees the submission package through the CMS senior management review process for recommended disapprovals
  • Tailors disapproval notices
Subject Matter Expert (SME)
  • Provides SME input to Review Team, upon request (offline or as SRT member)
Submission Review Team (SRT)
  • Receives package review assignments
  • Provides section assessments through the Review Tool
  • Reviews and submits notes and comments for Official and Draft Submissions
  • Provides recommendations for RAI, Approval, and Disapproval
CMS Point of Contact (CPOC)
  • Oversees the review of Official and Draft Submissions
  • Maintains the composition of the review team (selects review team members within MACPro)
  • Documents and Reviews correspondence log entries
  • Reviews team feedback within the Review Tool
  • Recommends a disposition for a submission package
  • Requests clarifications and initiates a request for additional information (RAI) from the state
  • Tailors approval notice to the state
  • Sets and manages internal milestones and reminders for SRT and Sr. Managers
  • Oversees the submission package through the CMS senior management review process for recommended approvals
  • CMS users may choose to be CPOCs for specific states within their program and authority
Report Administrator (RA)
  • Views reports and submission packages on behalf of CMS Review Team Administrators (POC Admin)
Subscriber (SUB)
  • Subscribes to specific states of interest
  • CMS users may choose to be subscribers for specific states within a program and authority

FAQ ID:92861

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What does it mean if the State allows CMS to view?

The State has the option to allow CMS to view the information in a submission package prior to submission informally by using the "Allow CMS to View" functionality. The CMS Point of Contact, Submission Review Team, and Subject Matter Expert have the ability to view these submission packages once the state has initiated the function. Please Note: This option will permit the CMS review team to see the screens in this submission package as they appear currently. It does not cause the package to be submitted as Draft or Official, and does not start a CMS review clock. Validation of the screens is not required. States must notify their CMS contact that viewing is available; MACPro does not notify CMS staff. States can deselect this option at any time

To access the submission package, go to the "Records" tab and then select "Submission Packages". Next select the link to the submission package and then in the left panel, select "Reviewable Units". You may then select the blue links to each Reviewable Unit to view the data entered by the state.

FAQ ID:92866

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This 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

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What 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

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What 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

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Certain 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

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How do I print a Quality Measures report?

  1. Select "Records" from the navigation panel at the top of the screen.
  2. Select the appropriate Quality Measure from the Records list.
  3. Select the specific report to be displayed.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. To print, use the browser print function. First navigate to the "File" tab. Select "Page Setup".
  7. 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.
  8. 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

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Is 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

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