Health info exchange eases Medicaid redeterminations
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CRISP, Maryland’s designated health data utility, will provide managed care organizations with data on patients whose Medicaid enrollment must be re-evaluated.
CRISP, Maryland’s state-designated health information exchange, announced it would provide a secure report to managed care organizations and other interested providers showing all the patients who will face redetermination of their Medicaid and Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits in the next 90 days.
With the April 1 expiration of the public health emergency that required Medicaid members to stay continuously enrolled, states have 12 months to redetermine enrollee eligibility. However, many clinics report having no recent contact information for their Medicaid patients to alert them to the new requirement.
CRISP’s Medicaid Redetermination Notification program ensures health care centers have timely and accurate patient contact information so they can reach out to those affected by the change and help them work through the redetermination process.
As the state’s designated health data utility, CRISP collects, aggregates and analyzes patient clinical information, public health data and health administrative and operations data to help state and local health departments and other organizations evaluate public health interventions and health equity.
The notification project initially launched in February as a pilot to help Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers navigate redetermination for their patients, who account for an estimated 10-15% of Maryland’s Medicaid population. The project is currently open to FQHCs and will expand to all CRISP-participating organizations by May, officials said.
“Medicaid is a lifeline for one in every five people and one in every three children in Maryland,” said CRISP President and CEO Craig Behm. “It’s imperative that all care team members know when their patients are up for redetermination and who’s at risk of losing coverage. This project streamlines the process and is a safety mechanism for patients who depend on Medicaid.”
Maryland also recently launched a Medicare Check-In Campaign to generate awareness about the upcoming redeterminations and encourage Medicaid participants to update their contact information to avoid disruptions in health insurance coverage.
HIEs can play a critical role during redetermination, Behm said. “By leveraging the infrastructure and technology already in place, HIEs can modernize the process and significantly reduce the burden on providers, clinics and state Medicaid agencies so they can instead focus on supporting patients.”
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