September 13, 2017 | Issue 16 | Volume 2
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Cedar Falls Man Gets Much Needed Services
Good health is often taken for granted. The reality is that many Iowans face barriers that make good health elusive.
Amerigroup recently helped connect a 69-year old man from Cedar Falls to much needed services. He was facing numerous barriers to good health, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), neuropathy and osteoarthritis. But, these weren't the most significant problems he faced.
When Amerigroup case managers met this man four months ago, he was anemic, underweight and malnourished. Between the rent for his apartment, utilities and other bills, there wasn't much left for food. If there was ever any money left, he would purchase meal replacement shakes. As a result, the member weighed just 131 pounds. The lack of consistent quality nutrition undoubtedly played a part in numerous digestive and gastrointestinal problems that required frequent hospitalization.
His Amerigroup caseworker arranged to have his nutritional needs met under a Medicaid waiver for the elderly and educated the member on the importance of visiting his doctor monthly. In addition, by coordinating with the home health aides, the Amerigroup caseworker was able to help the man get on a path to better health.
Today, the member has made it back to a healthy weight and reports he is feeling much better. He's attending his medical appointments regularly, and he's managed to stay out of the hospital. The support he's received under Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports has enabled him to live independently.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Reveals New Medicare Card Design
Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gave the public its first look at the
newly designed Medicare card
. The new Medicare card contains a unique, randomly-assigned number that replaces the current Social Security-based number.
CMS will begin mailing the new cards to people with Medicare benefits in April 2018 to meet the statutory deadline for replacing all existing Medicare cards by April 2019. People with Medicare will also be able to see the design of the new Medicare card in the 2018 Medicare and You Handbook. These handbooks were mailed throughout September.
"The goal of the initiative to remove Social Security numbers from Medicare cards is to help prevent fraud, combat identify theft, and safeguard taxpayer dollars," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "We're very excited to share the new design."
Please note the Medicare card is being redesigned. The Iowa Medicaid (medical assistance eligibility card 470-1911) has NOT changed.
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Keep an Eye Out for a Survey from the Iowa Health Information Network
The Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN) is the official state-wide health information exchange in Iowa. IHIN aims to improve care, promote cost savings and facilitate better outcomes through the secure exchange of electronic health information.
To expand IHIN use among Medicaid providers, it is important to know about providers' health information technology capabilities, challenges, needs and plans. The IHIN has developed brief online provider surveys to capture this information for Iowa Medicaid Home Health Agencies (HHA), Hospices, Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF), Rural Health Clinics (RHC) and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF). The surveys, which are specific for each provider type, take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete.
A related Survey is also forthcoming for Assisted Living Facilities. Although they are not an Iowa Medicaid provider type, they are important partners in efforts to improve timely access to care and reduce hospital re-admissions and emergency department visits.
Keep an eye out for email invitations which are being sent to contacts at each organization in the survey sample. These emails contain a direct link to the survey. If you have questions about the survey, please contact Allen Wentland at IHIN, at [email protected].
This information is being shared on behalf of the Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN) and does not constitute an endorsement.
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Urgent Reminder: Provider Re-enrollment
The deadline for provider re-enrollment was June 30, 2017. There are a number of providers who have failed to complete the re-enrollment process.
The Iowa Medicaid Enterprise (IME) is actively working to ensure providers complete re-enrollment in compliance with federal regulations, while also minimizing any disruptions to the payment or delivery of services.
Final notices have been sent to p
roviders who have submitted claims in calendar year 2017.
These providers must complete re-enrollment by October 31, 2017, to avoid termination.
Providers with questions regarding re-enrollment should call IME Provider Services at
1-800-338-7909.
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Provider Tools and Resources:
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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:
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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.
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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.
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IA Health Link Member Services
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1-800-600-4441
1-855-332-2440
1-800-464-9484
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IA Health Link Provider Services
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1-800-454-3730
1-844-411-0579
1-888-650-3462
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Dental Wellness Plan Member Services
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Dental Wellness Plan Provider Services
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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.
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100 Army Post Rd., Des Moines, IA 50315
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Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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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.
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