What Happened
On Monday, June 1, over 1,000 providers had their MCHP enrollment terminated by DHS. These terminations occurred for a variety of reasons, including incomplete documentation, missed site visits, or, according to reports from our members, unreviewed applications. From what ARRM can discern based on the flood of calls and emails we’ve received over the past few days, most of our members offering the services designated as “high risk” received a termination letter from the Department for one or multiple programs. Providers who had their enrollment terminated have been encouraged by the Department to file an appeal as soon as possible. Providers who were terminated are not eligible to be paid for services provided, but if they are reinstated after an appeal, they can be paid retroactively for services provided while under termination.
What We Did This Week
June 1
I published a blog post on June 1 outlining what we knew about revalidation (and rate remediation) at that point. That still serves as a reference point for people looking to understand the basics of both efforts.
ARRM and a coalition of other provider associations issued a press release on June 1 calling on the Department to make changes immediately to ensure providers who have done nothing wrong can continue to receive payment while appeals are processed. We are still waiting for a response from DHS on this point. Our News Room features several articles in which ARRM was quoted.
June 2
ARRM held a member briefing call on Tuesday afternoon. The recording and PowerPoint presentation from that call are available to members in the Open Forum. It’s been a challenge to glean actionable insights or develop a roadmap for members from all the information we’ve received, as providers are receiving different answers to the same questions, or different results from similar revalidations. ARRM staff is doing what we can to coordinate with the Department and get some clarity for members. We’re very grateful that several Department staff made themselves available for our Member Briefing on Tuesday afternoon to provide what information they could and hear members’ concerns. But we know that guidance and information available is still somewhat scarce. Some advice we did get from DHS on the Tuesday call includes:
· Join DHS’s roundtable calls on Thursdays at 10 a.m. Email mhcp.roundtables.dhs@state.mn.us to be added to the calendar invite.
· Use the FAQ page on DHS’s Revalidation website and contact revalidation.inquiries.dhs@state.mn.us with questions.
June 3
ARRM shared several major updates with members.
· The ARRM Executive Committee authorized ARRM to file an amicus brief. An amicus brief allows "friends of the court," such as experts, advocacy groups, businesses, or the government, to offer unique perspectives, specialized knowledge, or relevant data that the actual parties involved in the case might not provide. By doing this, ARRM can tell the full story of the significant impact of what’s happening to our members in a way that an individual provider cannot. ARRM will keep members informed as we move forward with this approach.
June 4
· ARRM released a resource members can use when filing their appeals.
What We’re Doing Next
ARRM knows the main priority for providers is getting reinstated. To support our members, we have a few things in the works:
· We will be offering ARRM Office Hours Friday and Monday for members to ask questions and share expertise. You can find details for these office hours in the members’ Open Forum.
· We are continuously working on getting clear answers to member questions around revalidation. Stay tuned to the Open Forum and your email for updates.
We know this is an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for providers, but ARRM is here to do what we can to support you. Thank you to all the members who have kept us posted on what you’re experiencing. Details from providers help direct our efforts and inform the advice we give others.