October 31, 2017  |  Issue 17  |  Volume 2
Medicaid e-News
Announcements:
AmeriHealth Caritas to Withdraw from the IA Health Link Program
AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa Inc. is withdrawing from the IA Health Link managed care program. AmeriHealth Caritas will withdraw from the program effective Nov. 30, 2017. AmeriHealth Caritas members' coverage with their new MCO will begin on December 1, 2017. They should watch their mail for more information, which will arrive soon. Learn more by reading the sample member letter.

For more information read the Press Release and the Stakeholder Questions and Answers (Q&A).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Approves the Elimination of Retroactive Coverage
On August 2, 2017, Iowa, as directed by the legislature, submitted a request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate retroactive eligibility for all Medicaid applicants. 

CMS has approved Iowa's request to eliminate the three month retroactive eligibility period, except for pregnant women (and during the 60-day period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy) and infants under one year of age, for applications filed on or after November 1, 2017. This includes initial applications and applications to add new household members.

For more information, read Informational Letter 1847-MC-FFS-D.

Provider Tools and Resources:
Provider Resource Pages
Comprehensive provider resource pages are available for each Managed Care Organization (MCO), featuring provider training manuals, webinars and important updates. View them below:


Verify Eligibility
The Eligibility and Verification Information System (ELVS) line is very busy during the first of the month. The ELVS web portal  is another option for providers in lieu of calling the ELVS line but each provider must enroll through the Electronic Data Interchange Support Services (EDISS). The ELVS web portal allows for multiple eligibility checks and batch submission, where as the ELVS phone system only allows for one at a time.

Login ID and password may be obtained through EDISS by submitting the following Access Request Form to EDISS or calling EDISS at 1-800-967-7902. 

For more information, please see Informational Letter 1650-MC available here.
 
Looking for an Old Issue of the Medicaid e-News?
Each edition features useful tools and important updates. Now you can quickly access old issues to find what your looking for. Visit the Iowa Medicaid newsletter page 
where you'll find links to each issue.

Iowa Medicaid Contacts
Iowa Medicaid Provider Services
1-800-338-7909
IA Health Link Member Services
1-800-600-4441

1-855-332-2440

1-800-464-9484
IA Health Link Provider Services
1-800-454-3730

1-844-411-0579

1-888-650-3462
Dental Wellness Plan Member Services
1-888-472-2793

1-855-247-6262
Dental Wellness Plan Provider Services
1-888-472-1205

1-855-856-6262

Informational Letters
Informational letters are posted through the Iowa Medicaid Portal Application (IMPA) system and are available on the DHS website  here These letters communicate important policies and procedures for providers and their administrative staff. 

Iowa Medicaid Enterprise | IMECommunications@dhs.state.ia.us | dhs.iowa.gov
100 Army Post Rd., Des Moines, IA 50315
The Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME), has been named a 2016 All Star Award winner by  Constant Contact , part of the  Endurance International Group, Inc.'s  (Nasdaq: EIGI) family of brands and the trusted marketing advisor to hundreds of thousands of small organizations worldwide. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10 percent of Constant Contact's customer base, based on their significant achievements using email marketing to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization during the prior year.