Category Archives: EPSDT

Haven’t Fixed Medicaid Yet…But I Haven’t Gotten Bucked Off Yet

Sep 5

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There are a number of federal regulations that, if I were in charge, would be immediately amended. Obviously, I am not in charge, so despite my best blogging efforts, my blogs do not change federal law. Today, however, I had the honor and privilege to speak to someone who may have the clout and political pull to fix some of the calamities found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) that are so detrimental to health care providers who accept Medicare and Medicaid across the country.

My husband, daughter, and I ride horses nearly every weekend. We ride Western and on trails all over North Carolina and Virginia, mostly on charity rides. And over the past few years, I have, sadly, gone through over 5 horses. Not because the horses have passed. But because each horse had an oddity or behavior issue that either (a) I didn’t want to deal with; or (2) terrified me.

For example, Twist of Luck (Twist) is a gorgeous pure, white horse with a yellow tail and mane and brilliant, blue eyes. But he was what you call, “proud cut.” Meaning that because he sired so many foals, even after he became a gelding he thought like a stallion. One weekend we were at Uwharrie National Park and when I saddled up Twist and mounted him, he decided that he did not want me on his back. My husband said Twist looked like a “poster horse” for a rodeo with his back completely rounded like an angry cat and all four of his hooves in the air. Needless to say, I found myself quite quickly on the ground with a sore tooshie, and Twist found himself sold.

Since I do not have the time to actually train my horse, I need a trained horse.

With my hobby of horseback riding, a well-trained horse is imperative…not only for safety, but for my enjoyment as well.

In the area of Medicare and Medicaid, it is imperative for enough physicians, dentists, and other health care providers to accept Medicare and Medicaid. You see, health care providers choose to accept Medicare and Medicaid. And not all health care providers agree to accept Medicare or Medicaid. But it is important for enough health care providers to accept Medicare and Medicaid patients otherwise the Medicare or Medicaid card in a person’s hand is worthless. Same as Twist was worthless to me that day in Uwharrie. If you can’t ride a horse, what is the point of owning it? If you can’t find a health care provider, what is the use of having coverage?

Here in North Carolina, we decided to not expand Medicaid. This blog is not going to address the ever-growing discontent in the media as to the decision, although you can see my blog: “Medicaid Expansion: Bad for the Poor.”

Instead, this blog will address my idea that I pitched to Congresswoman Renee Ellmers over lunch last week and discussed today with her legislative counsel today as to how it can be implemented.

Here’s my idea:

According to most data, not expanding Medicaid in North Carolina is affecting approximately 1.6 million uninsured North Carolinians. But to my point of the shortage of health care providers accepting Medicaid, what is the point of having an insurance card that no health care provider accepts? Therefore, I propose a pilot program here in NC…a pilot program to help the approximate 1.6 million uninsured in NC. Besides the moral issue that everyone deserves quality health care, fiscally, it is sound to provide the uninsured with quality health care (notice that I did not say to provide the uninsured with Medicaid). When the uninsured go to emergency rooms it costs the taxpayers more than if the uninsured had an insurance policy that would allow primary care and specialty doctor appointments. But with Medicaid…you can count out most specialty care, even some basic necessary care like dental care.

Most of the uninsured in NC are non-disabled men. I say this because it is usually easier to get a child on Medicaid with the Early, Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic, Testing (EPSDT) laws. See my blog: “How EPSDT Allows Medicaid Recipients Under the Age of 21 To Receive More Services Than Covered by the State Plan” for an explanation of EPSDT. Many women receive Medicaid based on having dependent children. “In most states, adults without dependent children are ineligible for Medicaid, regardless of their income, and income limits for parents were very low—often below half the poverty level.” See Kaiser Foundation. Which means, generally, many of our uninsured are men without dependents. However, that does not mean they are not fathers. Many of the uninsured are fathers.

Two-thirds of the uninsured live in families where there is at least one full-time worker. However, the percentage of uninsured who live in families with no workers, part-time workers and only one full-time worker has increased 12 percentage points over 5 years. See Demographics.

So how do we help the uninsured without merely handing all uninsured a Medicaid card that will not give them quality health care because not enough trained health care providers accept Medicaid patients?

By giving the uninsured health care insurance, of course! But not Medicaid coverage…oh, no! By giving the uninsured private insurance that will be accepted by all health care providers, all specialists, all durable medical equipment companies, all dentists…

We could partner up with a larger insurer like Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and create a premium health care insurance on which the insured would pay no premiums or co-pays. Instead, federal grant money would cover the premiums. All that money that NC did not receive based on our decision to not expand Medicaid…can go toward this pilot program to purchase the private insurance for the uninsured.

In order to qualify for this premium, free, private insurance the person must:

1. Be a legal resident;
2. NOT qualify for Medicaid; and
3. Maintain a part time job.

The reasoning behind the criterion of maintaining a part-time job is simple.

It is indisputable that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has motivated employers across America to decrease the number of full-time jobs due to the mandatory expense of employers providing health care to full-time employees.

Obviously, part-time work does not pay well. It is difficult to even maintain a living on part-time work’s low hourly wages. Many people are forced to hold down two-part time jobs in order to survive. If you can not work and receive more government hand outs, what is the incentive to work?

If my idea comes to fruition and many of our uninsured carry a private insurance card and receive quality health care from the providers of their choice, we could create a whole new group of North Carolinians not only contributing to the community by working, but also contributing to their own homes, and improving themselves and those around them.

I don’t want to provide anyone a useless piece of paper that does not provide quality health care. We may as well give everyone a “proud cut” horse that no one could ride.

Thank you, Congresswoman Renee Ellmers, for being willing to listen to me regarding the uninsured and actually follow-up with the intent to implement.

Quality health care is imperative. Necessary. Needed. We need to fix this system.

Posted in Accountability, Affordable Care Act, Division of Medical Assistance, Doctors, Eligibilty, EPSDT, Federal Government, Federal Law, Health Care Providers and Services, Legislation, Medicaid, Medicaid Attorney, Medicaid Costs, Medicaid Eligibility, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Recipients, Medicaid Reform, Medicaid Services, Medicaid Spending, Medicare, Medicare Attorney, NC, NC DHHS, North Carolina, Number of Medicaid Enrollees, Obamacare, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Taxpayers, Uninsured

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How EPSDT Allows Medicaid Recipients Under the Age of 21 To Receive More Services Than Covered By NC State Plan

Apr 2

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EPSDT. What in the heck is EPSDT?

EPSDT is an acronym for the “Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT).” It only applies to Medicaid beneficiaries under the age of 21. As in, if you are 21, EPSDT does not apply to you. The point of EPSDT is to allow beneficiaries under the age of 21 to receive medically necessary services not normally allowed by the NC Medicaid State Plan. (These beneficiaries under the age of 21 I will call “children” for the sake of this blog, despite 18+ being a legal adult).

The definition of each part of the acronym is below:

Early:……. Assessing and identifying problems early
Periodic:…… Checking children’s health at periodic, age-appropriate intervals
Screening:…. Providing physical, mental, developmental, dental, hearing, vision, and other screening tests to detect potential problems
Diagnostic:…. Performing diagnostic tests to follow-up when a risk is identified, and
Treatment:…. Control, correct or reduce health problems found.

Federal Medicaid law at 42 U.S.C.§ 1396d(r) [1905(r) of the Social Security Act] requires state Medicaid programs to provide EPSDT for beneficiaries under 21 years of age. Within the scope of EPSDT benefits under the federal Medicaid law, states are required to cover any service that is medically necessary “to correct or ameliorate a defect, physical or mental illness, or a condition identified by screening,” whether or not the service is covered under the North Carolina State Medicaid Plan.

The services covered under EPSDT are limited to those within the scope of the category of services listed in the federal law at 42 U.S.C. § 1396d (a) [1905(a) of the Social Security Act].

For example, EPSDT will not cover, nor is it required to cover, purely cosmetic or experimental treatments.

Again, EPSDT allows for exceptions to Medicaid policies for beneficiaries under the age of 21. For example, if the DMA clinical policy for dental procedures does not cover a certain procedure, if the dentist determines that the procedure is medically necessary for a beneficiary under the age of 21, then the dentist can request prior approval under EPSDT simply by filling out a “non-covered services form” along with the other supporting documentation to establish medical necessity. More likely than not, the “non-covered procedure” would be approved.

Medical necessity is an interesting term. Medical necessity is not defined by statute. The American Medical Association (AMA) defines medical necessity as:

“Health care services or products that a prudent physician would provide to a patient for the purpose of preventing, diagnosing, treating or rehabilitating an illness, injury, disease or its associated symptoms, impairments or functional limitations in a manner that is: (1) in accordance with generally accepted standards of medical practice; (2) clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent, site and duration; and (3) not primarily for the convenience of the patient, physician, or other health care provider.”

But, legally, the courts have construed medical necessity broadly when it comes to EPSDT. As in, generally speaking, if a doctor will testify that a procedure or service is medically necessary, then, generally speaking, a judge will accept the medical necessity of the procedure or service.

It seems as though I am degrading the intelligence of the judges that take the face value testimony of the doctors. But I am not.

Judges, like I, are not doctors. We do not have the benefit of a medical education. I say benefit because any education is a benefit, in my opinion.

It would be difficult for anyone who is not a doctor to disagree with the testimony of a physician testifying to medical necessity. I mean, unless the person stayed in a Holiday Inn Express the night before. (I know…bad joke).

Some courts, however, have ruled that the decision as to whether a procedure is medically necessary must be a joint effort by the state and the treating physician. Obviously, for courts that follow the “joint decision for medical necessity” holdings, less procedures would be allowed under EPSDT because, more likely than not, the state will disagree with a treating physician (I say this only from my own experience representing the state when the state disagreed with EPSDT treatments despite the treating physician testifying that the procedure was medically necessary).

For example, the 11th Circuit has held that both the state and the treating physician have a role in determining whether a procedure or treatment is medically necessary to correct or ameliorate a medical condition. The 11th circuit disagreed with the Northern District of Georgia’s determination that the state MUST provide the amount of services which the treating physician dreamed necessary. Moore v. Medows, No. 08-13926, 2009 WL 1099133 (11th Cir. Apr. 24, 2009).

Regardless, in practice, EPSDT is interpreted broadly. A long, long time ago, I worked at the Attorneys’ Generals office. A mother requested hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for her autistic children (and I had to oppose her request because that was my job).

For those of you who do not know what HBOT is (I sure didn’t know what HBOT is prior to this particular case)…

“Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is the use of high pressure oxygen as a drug to treat basic pathophysiologic processes and their diseases. HBOT has acute and chronic drug effects. Acutely, HBOT has been proven to be the most powerful inhibitor of reperfusion injury, which is the injury that occurs to tissue deprived of blood supply when blood flow is resumed. This is thought to be one of the primary mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen therapy effects in acute global ischemia, anoxia, and coma. Chronically, HBOT acts as a signal inducer of DNA to effect trophic (growth) tissue changes.” See http://www.hbot.com/hbot.

I went and saw a hyperbaric oxygen treatment chamber in preparation of my case. It’s pretty intimidating. It is a large chamber made of thick metal. It looks like you could get inside, have it submerged under the ocean, and explore. It appears similar to a submarine. And, interestingly, it is most often used for divers who get the bends.

It is highly controversial as to whether HBOT cures, remedies or ameliorates autistic symptoms. I had two experts testifying that HBOT was experimental, and, therefore, not covered by Medicaid, even with EPSDT. (Remember, back then I was at the AG’s office).

Yet, despite the fact that HBOT was still controversial as to whether it ameliorates the symptoms of autism, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) used the EPSDT doctrine to rule that the mother’s children could receive HBOT and Medicaid must pay for the services.

That is the power of EPSDT. HBOT was clearly not covered by Medicaid for the purpose of ameliorating symptoms of autism. But, for the children named in the Petition who were under 21, Medicaid paid nonetheless.

HBOT allows beneficiaries under the age of 21 to receive medically necessary services that would not normally be allowed under the North Carolina Medicaid State Plan.

Importantly, EPSDT provides for private rights of action under 1983. At least all the federal circuit court of appeals have held such.

Oh, and, BTW, NCTracks will soon also be in charge of EPSDT determinations.

Posted in Administrative Law Judge, Clinical Policy 4A, CMS, Denials of Medicaid Services, Dental Medicaid Providers, Division of Medical Assistance, DMA Clinical Policies, EPSDT, Federal Law, Health Care Providers and Services, Lawsuit, Legal Analysis, Medicaid, Medicaid Appeals, Medicaid Recipient Appeals, Medicaid Recipients, Medicaid Recipients Under 21, Medical Necessity, NC, NC DHHS, NCTrack Glitches, NCTracks, North Carolina, Prior Authorization, State Plan

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On Medicaid? Need Home Health Aide Services? You Are Now Limited in Number of Visits.

Jul 9

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New revisions to Medicaid policy limit the number of home health aide services for Medicaid recipients, regardless of medical need.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) revised the Clinical Policy 3A. The revised policy took effect July 1, 2013.

Prior to this revised policy, home health aide services were limited to the amount, frequency, and duration of services as  ordered by the physician and documented in the Plan of Care (POC). As in, if you needed services four times a week, if your physician ordered the services and the need for such services were documented on the POC, you could receive home health aide services four times a week.

What are home health aide services?

“Home Health (not aide) Services, generally, include medically necessary skilled nursing services, specialized therapies (physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy), home health aide services, and medical supplies provided to beneficiaries who live in primary private residences. Skilled nursing, specialized therapies, and medical supplies can also be provided if the beneficiary resides in an adult care home (such as a rest home or family care home).”

Home health aide services are a subpart of Home Health Services.

“Home health aide services are hands-on paraprofessional services provided by a Nurse Aide I or II (NA I or NA II) under the supervision of the RN. The services are provided in accordance with the established POC to support or assist the skilled service (skilled nursing and specialized therapies).

Home health aide services help maintain a beneficiary’s health and facilitate treatment of the beneficiary’s illness or injury. Typical tasks include:

a. Assisting with activities such as bathing, caring for hair and teeth, eating, exercising, transferring, and eliminating.

b. Assisting a beneficiary in taking self-administered medications that do not require the skills of a licensed nurse to be provided safely and effectively.

c. Assisting with home maintenance that is incidental to a beneficiary’s medical care needs, such as doing light cleaning, preparing meals, taking out trash, and shopping for groceries.

d. Performing simple delegated tasks such as taking a beneficiary’s temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure; weighing the beneficiary; changing dressings that do not require the skills of a licensed nurse; and reporting changes in the beneficiary’s condition and needs to an appropriate health care professional.”

See DMA Clinical Policy 3A, p. 1-3 (emphasis added).

The revised Policy 3A has 5 additional pages (it went from 29 pages to 34 pages, in total), but many more restrictions, many of which are without regard to medical necessity.

Such as, “Home health aide services must be limited to 100 total visits per year per beneficiary.”  Click here for the full text of the revised Policy 3A. Of course, always remember the exception for children: EPSDT.

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) is a federal Medicaid requirement that requires the state Medicaid agency to cover services, products, or procedures for Medicaid beneficiary under 21 years of age if the service is medically necessary health care  to correct or ameliorate a defect, physical or mental illness, or a condition [health problem] identified through a screening examination (includes any evaluation by a physician or other licensed clinician).

For more information on EPSDT, see my blog: “EPSDT’s Impact on Medicaid Audits.”

 Now, going back to our Medicaid recipient in medical need of 4 home health aide services/week (208 visits/year), he or she is now limited to 100/year (almost 2 visits/week) (This math is using 52 week/year, not 52.1775).

There are other services possible, depending on the medical necessity. But as for home health aide services, you only get 100.

Remember, this limit not only affects Medicaid recipients (obviously the limit impacts the recipients most greatly), but, also, providers will have less work for their home health aides. As one of my readers pointed out to me, the aides are only making around $8/hour.

DMA Clinical Policy 3A, revised July 1, 2013, has other restrictions. See below for some other restrictions.

Skilled Nursing Visits

Pre-filling insulin syringes/Medi-Planner visits (RC 581) must be limited to a maximum of one visit every two (2) weeks with one (1) additional PRN visit allowed each month. There is a limit of 75 skilled nursing visits (inclusive of, and in any combination with, RC 550, RC 551, RC 559, RC 580, RC 581, and RC 589) per beneficiary per state fiscal year.

Miscellaneous Code T1999        

Use of the T1999 code for billing miscellaneous supplies is limited as follows:

  • A maximum of $250 per beneficiary per state fiscal year may be billed without prior approval required.
  • Any amount over $250 per beneficiary per state fiscal year, whether for a single item or a cumulative total, requires prior approval.
  • A maximum of $1,500 per beneficiary per state fiscal year may be billed.

Are these new restrictions only because of a tight Medicaid budget? My question is when does medical necessity for Medicaid recipients become a factor in policy limits?

Posted in Budget, Division of Medical Assistance, DMA Clinical Policies, DMA Clinical Policy 3A, EPSDT, Health Care Providers and Services, Home Health Aide Services, Home Health Services, Medicaid, Medicaid Costs, Medicaid Limits, Medicaid Recipients, Medicaid Recipients Under 21, NC DHHS, North Carolina, Plan of Care, Skilled Nursing Visits

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EPSDT’s Impact on Medicaid Audits

Feb 25

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Because the breadth of EPSDT is so large and covers so many Medicaid recipients under 21, many NC auditors conducting Medicaid audits are either overlooking the importance of EPSDT or lacking the comprehension of the ever-arching arms of EPSDT.

First, what in the heck is EPSDT?  It’s an acronym for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment.

Definition:

The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit provides comprehensive and preventive health care services for children under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid. EPSDT is key to ensuring that children and adolescents receive appropriate preventive, dental, mental health, and developmental, and specialty services.

Early Assessing and identifying problems early
Periodic Checking children’s health at periodic, age-appropriate intervals
Screening Providing physical, mental, developmental, dental, hearing, vision, and other screening tests to detect potential problems
Diagnosis Performing diagnostic tests to follow up when a risk is identified, and
Treatment Control, correct or reduce health problems found.

How EPSDT works in real life:

The simplest way to think about EPSDT, is to throw out all entrance criteria for whichever Medicaid service is at issue (as long as the Medicaid recipient is under the age of 21). (Please understand that this is not the legal standard for EPSDT).

The way North Carolina explains EPSDT in the DMA Clinical Policies is as follows:

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) is a federal Medicaid requirement that requires the state Medicaid agency to cover services, products, or procedures for Medicaid beneficiaries under 21 years of age if the service is medically necessary health care to correct or ameliorate a defect, physical or mental illness, or a condition [health problem] identified through a screening examination** (includes any evaluation by a physician or other licensed clinician). This means EPSDT covers most of the medical or remedial care a child needs to improve or maintain his/her health in the best condition possible, compensate for a health problem, prevent it from worsening, or prevent the development of additional health problems.

For example, if, in order to receive Medicaid services for X the Medicaid recipient must meet criteria A, B, and C, but only meets A and B, the Medicaid recipient can still receive the services if the recipient is under 21 and:

  • The Medicaid recipient can show that the services are medically necessary to correct or ameliorate a medical condition.

Ok, you understand the definition of EPSDT. But how does EPSDT come into play during a Medicaid audit?

Many audited services have undergone prior authorization by the contracted company for DMA.  For example, for mental health services, prior authorization comes from ValueOptions (VO).  Then years later, the Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) or other recoupment auditing contractor (RAC) audits the same services that were previously authorized, and, in many cases, decides that medical necessity was not met because the entrance criteria had not been met.

The difference in opinion between VO and CCME, in many cases, is a lack of understanding the strength of EPSDT.

Time and time again, I have gone to reconsideration reviews when the Medicaid recipients were all under 21 and argued that medical necessity was met through EPSDT.  Yet, time and time again, the RAC (whether CCME or Public Consulting Group (PCG)) representative vehemently disagrees that EPSDT is applicable. He or she argues that the entrance criteria must be met regardless.

Because, in my past life, I actually worked for the Attorney General’s office in the Medicaid department, I saw hundreds of hundreds of decisions from the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) stating that medical necessity was met via EPSDT. In some cases, the Medicaid recipient had not even met one entrance criteria for the Medicaid services.  But EPSDT has been interpreted to be extremely broad and encompassing.

Despite the importance of EPSDT, it appears that no one explained this to the contracting companies conducting the NC Medicaid audits. Perhaps someone should tell them….

Posted in CCME, Division of Medical Assistance, EPSDT, Health Care Providers and Services, Medicaid, Medicaid Audits, Medicaid Eligibility, Medicaid Recipients Under 21, Mental Health, Mental Illness, North Carolina, OAH, RAC, Reconsideration Reviews

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