CMS
Is Your Behavioral Health Network Data—Accurate?
Based on the CY24 Final Rule—the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is cracking down on Network Adequacy to improve access to Behavioral Health. In order to build strong Medicare Advantage (MA) Behavioral Health networks that improve timely access to services—CMS is finalizing policies to strengthen network adequacy requirements and reaffirm MA organizations’ responsibilities…
Read MoreCY24 ANOC & EOC Proposed Models—Second Round Available for Comment
A link to the latest CY24 ANOC & EOC proposed models was included in the Federal Register on Friday, April 28, 2023, for a 30-day comment period. Comments are due by May 30, 2023. Proposed CY24 models for the 60-day comment period were published in December 2022. To access the drafts, summary of edits, and…
Read MoreComing Soon – CY24 Model Materials
In May, CMS expects to release the Contract Year (CY) 2024 model materials. These will be posted on the CMS site, CMS Marketing Models, and will include: Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) Evidence of Coverage (EOC) ANOC and EOC standardized model instructions Provider Directory Also expected to be released in May are the CY24 Part…
Read MoreCMS’s Plan Benefit Package (PBP) Software—Technical Redesign Coming to HPMS
CMS is modernizing its Plan Benefit Package (PBP) bid submission module for Contract Year (CY) 2024 Going live on April 7, 2023—the new web-based Plan Benefit Package (PBP) Software Technical Redesign will live within the Health Plan Management System (HPMS) and include updates to the user interface and data entry workflow. In previous years, users…
Read MoreCMS CY 2024 Advanced Notice — The Inflation Reduction Act Requirements on Member Communications
Comments are due by March 3, 2023. The final notice will be released by April 3, 2023. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 provides many provisions to reduce prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare Advantage (MA) members. The CMS CY 2024 Advance Notice included updates related to the IRA that should be…
Read MoreCall Center Monitoring — Star Rating Measure Tips for Success
Call Center Monitoring is one of your first Star Rating measures of the new contract year. Starting in February 2023, CMS will measure interpreter and TTY availability as a metric for the CY24 Star Ratings. Monitoring calls will be placed on your prospective enrollee call center phone lines. These calls will measure interpreter availability, TTY…
Read MoreCMS Audits – Be Prepared to Avoid These Common Findings
As the 2022 Program Audit Cycle winds up with the last of the routine audit engagement letters issued in July, we are starting to see the audit results. This year saw new audit protocols, and some plans struggled with the new universe layouts. In addition, CMS added a new observation classification – ORCAs (Observation Requiring…
Read MoreAppeals & Grievances—How to Measure & Improve Workflow Efficiency
In today’s managed care world, health plans must rely on complex, time-sensitive, heavily regulated, and repetitive processes to manage their Appeals & Grievances (A&G). No matter how well-designed your workflow is, there is always room for improvement. In fact, by taking a closer look at your A&G processes, you may be surprised at the challenges…
Read MoreCMS 2023 Final Notice & Updates for D-SNPs — What Should Plans Do Now?
In May, CMS published the 2023 Final Rule in the Federal Register. The rule includes many changes related to different areas, including marketing and communications, past performance, Star Ratings, network adequacy, medical loss ratio reporting, special requirements during disasters or public emergencies, and pharmacy price concessions; however, there are a number of changes related to…
Read MoreCMS Reposts CY2023 ANOC & EOC Models
On August 1, CMS reposted the revised Contract Year (CY) 2023 Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) and Evidence of Coverage (EOC) models due to several identified issues. CMS distributed its “Model Notice Corrections” memo the following day, highlighting many of the changes. This is the first time since 2018 that CMS has provided revised models…
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