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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.

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Under the CMS 2370-F rule, are managed care organizations (MCOs) permitted to include amounts sufficient to account for the payment differential on expected utilization while still holding the sub-capitated primary care physicians at risk for some level of increase in utilization due to the higher rates? Or must MCOs remove the risk to primary care physicians for utilization to ensure that these physicians receive the increased amount for actual experience?

The purpose of section 1202 of the Affordable Care Act and the final rule is to ensure access to and utilization of beneficial primary care services. Towards that goal, eligible primary care physicians must receive the full benefit of the enhanced payment at the Medicare rate for eligible services rendered. If a Medicaid managed care health plan retains sub-capitation arrangements, the health plan would be obligated to provide additional payments to providers to ensure that every unit of primary care services provided is reimbursed at the Medicare rate.

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FAQ ID:91461

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Will retroactive provider payments by health plans - necessitated by the State's retroactive payment of the higher rates to health plans - be subject to timely claims filing requirements in 42 CFR 447.46? If so, may states impose liquidated damages or other penalties on health plans for violating those requirements?

Any retroactive payments made to providers in order to ensure that eligible providers receive the applicable Medicare rate for eligible services will not be considered claims subject to the requirements in 42 CFR 447.46.

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FAQ ID:91411

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Can managed care plans under contract with a state use their own definitions of primary care providers and services for purposes of complying with CMS 2370-F rule?

While we recognize that health plans may have unique definitions of primary care providers and services, the availability of the increased Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is limited to the scope of eligible primary care providers and primary care services as defined in statute and implemented by this rule.

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FAQ ID:91416

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When will the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provide standardized contract language reflecting the requirements of this provision as mentioned during the All-State Call on November 8th?

CMS will be working collaboratively with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) to develop the contract elements necessary to reflect the requirements of this rule. In recognition of the State Medicaid Agency's role in the contracting practice, CMS will describe the suggested content areas rather than issue standardized contractual language. These elements will be described in further detail in a future (Question and Answer) Q&A document.

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FAQ ID:91421

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How will states with Medicaid managed care programs comply with the requirement to report provider participation levels specified in 42 CFR 447.400(d)(1)?

At this time, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is not defining the form of information required under 42 CFR 447.400(d)(1), but we do suggest that states with Medicaid managed care programs conduct a baseline assessment of primary care access before the provision goes into effect. This baseline assessment will ensure that Congress, CMS, and researchers have comparative data to evaluate this provision.

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FAQ ID:91426

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Does CMS participate in the state's life cycle gate reviews?

No. CMS does not participate the state's in E&E or in MMIS system development life cycle (SDLC) level reviews.

FAQ ID:95056

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Does the IV&V 18-month compliance period apply to E&E systems?

Yes. The rules pertaining to procuring IV&V contracts (State Medicaid Director Letter 16-010) apply to both E&E and MMIS.

FAQ ID:95061

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Do the documents in the artifacts table need to be created for every module?

In most cases once they are created, the documents will simply be updated to account for the additional modules being planned or developed. A new document is not necessarily created for each module. If a state calls a document by a different name, the state should inform CMS of the name difference.

FAQ ID:95076

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CALT is no longer available. Where should state artifacts and evidence be posted?

Granting CMS direct access to the state's evidence repository is the preferred method for making evidence available to CMS. If that is not possible, the state may make other secure arrangements with CMS, such as using encrypted File Transfer Protocol (FTP). It is critical to follow all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations when submitting evidence that contains personal health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII).

FAQ ID:95081

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Should IV&V progress reports include all the checklist sets every time they submit a progress report?

No. Only the checklists pertaining to the modules undergoing review need to be included, and that only for the report created in preparation for a milestone review. However, the IV&V progress report should include risks and recommendations for the entire project--not just those about to undergo a milestone review.

FAQ ID:95086

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