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2020 Session

Budget Amendments - HB30 (Conference Report)

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Workgroup on Medicaid Payment Policies and Care Coordination (language only)

Item 313 #50c

Item 313 #50c

Health and Human Resources
Department of Medical Assistance Services

Language

Page 321, after line 18, insert:

"GGGG. The Department of Medical Assistance Services shall convene a workgroup to evaluate and develop strategies and recommendations to improve payment policies and coordination of care in the Medicaid program to encourage the effective and efficient provision of care by providers and health care systems serving Medicaid members.  The workgroup shall include representatives from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, hospitals, the Virginia Association of Health Plans, managed care organizations, emergency department and primary care physicians, and other stakeholders deemed necessary by the department.  The workgroup shall: (i) evaluate the appropriate coordination of services and cooperation among Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), hospitals, physicians, social services organizations, and nonprofit organizations to achieve a reduction in hospital readmissions, improved health outcomes, and reduced overall costs of care for conditions with high rates of hospital readmission in the Medicaid program; (ii) examine the role of hospital discharge planning and MCO care coordinators in assisting Medicaid beneficiaries with access to appropriate care and services post-discharge and other factors that may contribute to higher rates of readmission such as social determinants of health that could impact a patient's readmission status; (iii) assess the effectiveness of past and current mechanisms to improve outcomes and readmission rates by hospitals and health care systems and best practices and models from federal programs and other states; (iv) assess how to prevent inappropriate utilization of emergency department services; (v) examine the role of MCO care coordinators in assisting Medicaid beneficiaries access to appropriate care, including Medicaid beneficiary access to and the availability and use of alternative non-emergency care options, adequacy of MCO provider networks and reimbursement for primary care and alternative non-emergency care options, and the effectiveness of past and current mechanisms to improve the use of alternative non-emergent care by Medicaid beneficiaries; (vi) evaluate the impact of freestanding emergency departments and hospital emergency department marketing on emergency department utilization along with lower-cost options for triage of non-emergency cases to alternative settings;  (vii) consider other states efforts to address emergency department utilization, including the use of medical and health homes, alternative primary care sites, and programs to coordinate the health needs of “super-utilizers”; and (viii) consider strategies to engage in value-based payment arrangements and other forms of financial incentives to encourage appropriate utilization of services and cooperation by health care providers and systems in improving health care outcomes, including a review of designated Performance Withhold Program measures, Clinical Efficiency measures,  and other existing or potential programs.  The department shall provide data on emergency room utilization and hospital readmissions of Medicaid beneficiaries to the workgroup to assist in its evaluation and analysis.  The department shall report on the workgroup's findings and recommendations to the Joint Subcommittee for Health and Human Resources Oversight by December 15, 2020."



Explanation

(This amendment establishes a stakeholder workgroup lead by the Department of Medical Assistance Services to develop strategies and recommendations to reduce hospital readmissions, improve emergency department utilization and enhance value-based payment in the Medicaid program.)