CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) January Announcements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) is pleased to share the following updates:

• CMS Letter to State Medicaid Directors Outlines New Opportunities for States to Better Serve Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
• Durable Medical Equipment Informational Bulletin
• Twelve-Year Ever-Enrolled Trends Report, 2006 through 2017
• Data Analysis Brief: Managed Care Enrollment Trends among Dually Eligible and Medicare-only Beneficiaries, 2006 through 2017
• Training Opportunity: Successfully Engaging Members in Plan Governance

CMS Letter to State Medicaid Directors Outlines New Opportunities for States to Better Serve Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
On December 19th, 2018, CMS sent a letter to State Medicaid Directors outlining ten opportunities – none of which require complex demonstrations or Medicare waivers – to better serve individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. This letter highlights opportunities to implement new developments with managed care, use Medicare data to inform care coordination and program integrity initiatives, and reduce administrative burden for dually eligible individuals and the providers who serve them.

The State Medicaid Director letter is available on Medicaid.gov here: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/smd18012.pdf

Durable Medical Equipment Informational Bulletin
CMS issued an Informational Bulletin that provides an additional strategy for states to support timely access to durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) for individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. The Informational Bulletin can be found at: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib010419.pdf. The Information Bulletin clarifies that states do not need to require a Medicare denial for DMEPOS that Medicare routinely denies as non-covered under the Medicare DME benefit. For additional strategies to increase access to DMEPOS for dually eligible individuals, see the Informational Bulletin released in 2017 at: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/cib010419.pdf.

Twelve-Year Ever-Enrolled Trends Report (2006-2017 Data)
The number of individuals co-enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid in one or more months reached 12.0 million individuals in 2017. Analysis of enrollment over time is available at:
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-and-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination-Office/DataStatisticalResources/Data-and-Statistical-Resources.html.

Data Analysis Brief: Managed Care Enrollment Trends among Dually Eligible and Medicare-only Beneficiaries, 2006 through 2017 
We updated our annual analysis of Medicare managed care enrollment among dually eligible individuals. The report can be found at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-and-Medicaid-Coordination/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination-Office/DataStatisticalResources/Downloads/ManagedCareEnrollmentTrendsDataBrief2006-2017.pdf.

Training Opportunity: Successfully Engaging Members in Plan Governance
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 30, 2019, 12:30pm-2:00pm (EDT)

Register here: https://www.resourcesforintegratedcare.com/MemberEngagement/2019_ME_Webinar_Series/Successfully_Engaging_Members_In_Plan_Governance

Health plans derive significant value from engaging members in defining, designing, participating in, and assessing their care systems^[1].   By soliciting and responding to member voices, plans can ensure that policies and procedures are responsive to the needs, preferences, and values of members and their families and caregivers. This webinar will feature new research on the member advisory bodies operating within Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) across the country. Speakers from MMPs will share information about the composition, function, and impact of member engagement in their plans’ governance as well as lessons for building a culture of engagement within plans or other systems serving people with complex health and social needs.

Intended Audience: This webinar is intended for staff of MMPs, Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans, and PACE organizations who are interested in engaging members in plan governance through consumer advisory committees or other strategies.

CME/CE Credit Information: CMS is evaluating this activity for CE credit. The number of credits awarded will be calculated following the activity based on the actual learning time. Final CE information on the amount of credit will be available to participants within the Learning Management System (LMS) after the live activity.