Medicaid Council meeting

The news from Friday’s Medicaid Council meeting was that there was no news. Unlike previous HUSKY transitions, the shift from three capitated HMOs to only one entity, Community Health Network (CHN), running the program was uneventful. There had been concerns that many providers previously participating in the HMO networks were not enrolled in regular Medicaid, potentially compromising continuity of care. However, only a small fraction of providers were not already enrolled in Medicaid, and 82% of those chose to enroll in the new program. Less than 0.1% of all HUSKY patients had been seen in the past by a provider who is not now enrolled in Medicaid, and may have to find another provider. DSS and CHN have instituted an impressive array of reforms recommended by providers and practice managers in a recent study of barriers to provider participation including better communications, easing payment and credentialing hassles, and significantly improved provider recruitment.