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 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
SHARE URLIs training available for reuse concepts and tools?
The reuse webpage on Medicaid.gov features an introductory video and more information about reuse. The webpage also has policy guidance documents.
The Medicaid Enterprise Systems Reuse Repository has instructions on how to use its features. These include how to add artifacts, search for artifacts, use the discussion forum features, and more.
FAQ ID:93646
SHARE URLHow do states share?
States can share reusable artifacts with others in several ways. States can participate in workgroups such as the Medicaid Management Information System Cohort, State Technical Advisory Group, and any other relevant state groups to facilitate knowledge sharing, partnerships, and collaboration. States with access to the Reuse Repository also may add their reusable artifacts directly to the repository.
View complete instructions for accessing the Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) Reuse Repository. Contact MES at MES@cms.hhs.gov for additional assistance in accessing the repository or participating in workgroups.
FAQ ID:93651
SHARE URLIf a state is reusing a system or module already certified in another state, do they still need to go through certification review and decision?
Certification is required for any new implementation, whether it is a custom- developed module that is transferred from another state, or a commercial off-the-shelf module that is being configured and integrated. The certification process looks at the state’s implementation of the solution to ensure the state has met all federal requirements.
States may reuse system documentation and other supporting evidence from a previous state certification if it is available and applicable to their systems and has been reconfirmed by independent verification and validation.
FAQ ID:93656
SHARE URLWhat aspects of reuse do states need to be aware of when developing advance planning documents (APDs)?
APDs must demonstrate a reuse-friendly design that includes the sharing of systems, modules, code, and any other developed artifacts. States could include language describing their efforts to find and learn from or reuse components from similar systems, or efforts the state is making to ensure that other states more easily can reuse the proposed system once it is developed.
FAQ ID:93661
SHARE URLWhat is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy regarding ownership rights?
From an intellectual property standpoint, reuse is supported by the general grant conditions for Federal Financial Participation (FFP) under 45 CFR 95.617, which require states to "include a clause in all procurement instruments that provides that the State or local government will have all ownership rights in software or modifications thereof and associated documentation designed, developed, or installed with FFP under this subpart."
Further, according to 42 CFR 433.112(6), CMS has "a royalty free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use and authorize others to use, for Federal Government purposes, software, modifications to software, and documentation that is designed, developed, installed or enhanced with 90 percent FFP."
In practice, this means that vendors retain ownership rights to software and other products they have developed under their own initiative and funding, while states and CMS have ownership rights to and may share any software, customizations, configurations, or add-ons funded with FFP.
FAQ ID:93666
SHARE URLAre states required to submit their Upper Payment Limit (UPL) demonstrations directly to the mailbox or should they continue to submit them to the CMS Regional Office?
States are requested to submit their UPL demonstrations to the UPL mailbox at MedicaidUPL@cms.hhs.gov, but should also send a copy of each demonstration to their CMS Regional Office, including the National Institutional Reimbursement Team (NIRT) and Non-Institutional Payment Team (NIPT) staff as appropriate, and addressed to the Associate Regional Administrator. UPL demonstrations should be submitted to meet the annual reporting requirement described in SMDL 13-003, as well as when proposing changes in payment through SPAs.
FAQ ID:92251
SHARE URLWhat are examples of what would be appropriate adjustments to the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) in step 9 (Adjustments to the UPL and UPL Gap Calculation) (field 408) of the template?
Variable 408 (Adjustment to the UPL Gap) is intended to allow states to report adjustments to their UPL gap, to the extent that these adjustments are not accounted for in other variables. Here, states could report broad-based increases or reductions in payment, such as a Medicaid volume adjustment for managed care expansion. The source of values input into variable 408 may differ by state. Whenever a state reports data in variable 408 it must include a comprehensive note describing the adjustment.
FAQ ID:92301
SHARE URL