CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) August Announcements

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

• Training Opportunities:
• Self-Direction for Dually Eligible Individuals Utilizing LTSS
• Health Coaching & Wellness Planning to Increase Client Engagement in Self-Management: A Conversation with Judith Cook
• New Medicare Part B Benefit Impact for Dually Eligible Individuals Enrolled in Opioid Treatment Programs

Training Opportunity: Self-Direction for Dually Eligible Individuals Utilizing LTSS

Date/Time: Wednesday, August 21, 2019, 12:00pm to 1:30pm (EDT)

Self-direction, often referred to as consumer-direction, is a practice that allows consumers to direct and manage their own personal care services. It is based on the premise that individuals receiving long-term services and supports (LTSS) know their needs best. By the end of this webinar, participants should be able to: (1) Describe key features of self-direction and what it entails for the consumer, (2) Identify the role of the care coordinator in facilitating decisions on self-direction as part of developing and/or amending the person-centered care plan; (3) Define the role of a personal care assistant (PCA) in the interdisciplinary care team; and, (4) Identify key resources available to plans, consumers, and their families who decide to self-direct.

Register at: https://resourcesforintegratedcare.com/GeriatricCompetentCare/2019_GCC_Webinar/Self_Direction_for_Dually_Eligible_Individuals_Utilizing_LTSS

Intended Audience: This webinar is intended for a wide range of stakeholders – including health plan leaders, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, home health care agencies, social workers, care coordinators, family and caregivers of consumers who are dually-eligible, and organizations that provide services for dually eligible beneficiaries, such as managed long-term services and supports programs and consumer organizations.

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

Training Opportunity: Health Coaching and Wellness Planning to Increase Client Engagement in Self-Management: A Conversation with Judith Cook

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 10, 2019, 12:00pm to 12:30pm (EDT)

This conversation will provide a platform for attendees to engage directly with speaker Judith Cook, PhD, and ask questions related to how health coaching and wellness planning can increase the engagement of individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid in self-management activities. Dr. Cook designs and implements innovative programs to enhance the health and behavioral health of vulnerable populations. She works with federal, state and local authorities on behavioral health service system redesign and alternative financing strategies. Attendees can submit questions ahead of time using the options below:

• Send an email with your questions to RIC@Lewin.com. Your personal and/or organizational information will not be shared during the live event or after.
• Use direct message on Twitter to send your questions to @Integrate_care.
• Complete the registration for the event and include your question in the designated textbox.

Register: https://resourcesforintegratedcare.com/BehavioralHealth/2019_BH_Webinar/Health_Coaching_and_Wellness_Planning_Conversation

Intended Audience: This event is intended for a wide range of stakeholders – health plans, providers, and other health care professionals who serve individuals dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid – to address gaps in coordinating care for individuals with chronic conditions.

New Medicare Part B Benefit Impact for Dually Eligible Individuals Enrolled in Opioid Treatment Programs

On July 29, CMS proposed policies to implement Section 2005 of the Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act, which established a new Medicare Part B benefit for opioid use disorder treatment services, including medications for medication-assisted treatment, furnished by Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs).

If finalized as proposed, Medicare will become the primary payer for OTP services for dually eligible individuals, many of whom formerly received those services as a Medicaid benefit (in states that covered OTP benefits). Under CMS’ proposal to set the copayment at zero, Medicare beneficiaries (including those dually eligible for Medicaid) with OUD will be eligible to receive treatment at Medicare-enrolled OTPs and will not be responsible for any cost sharing. Should Medicare impose cost-sharing in the future, state Medicaid agencies would process crossover claims for the beneficiary cost-sharing liability.

Comments on the proposed OTP policies are due via the official comment submission process by September 27. 

For More Information:

Proposed Rule see section II.G

OTP webpage