NAME is the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education, and was formed in 2003 to “Advocate Program Integrity for School Based Medicaid Reimbursement”. Members consist of National School Districts, State Medicaid and Education Agencies, Consulting Firms, and School Associations. HBS has been a member of NAME since 2004.
Mark Smith, our ODE Medicaid School Program lead, was last year’s NAME president, so Ohio has the pleasure of hosting the NAME 2015 Conference. This year’s conference is being held in Baltimore, Maryland on Sunday, October 4th – Wednesday, October 7th. We intentionally scheduled the conference in the DC area in hopes of getting more participation from our Federal Partners, which has worked out well, as we have the majority of our conference presentations being given by Federal Agencies and National Therapy Associations. We dodged a government shutdown, which would have affected the majority of our planned sessions, and now we are crossing our fingers that the hurricane tracks away from Baltimore.
We have a very exciting array of speakers and topics in this year’s conference, and I will update everyone upon my return. Here is a brief overview of the scheduled presenters and topics.
Free Care/504 Plans, Time Study Compliance, Third Party Insurance Liability, ICD-10
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
US Department of Education
The “Free Care” issue could allow for Medicaid reimbursement for 504 Plans. Time Study Compliance is important as CMS has started questioning some state’s practices. The Third Party Liability issue could allow for Medicaid reimbursement for students that also have third party insurance coverage. The ICD-10 requirement just took effect 10/01/2015.
Practitioner Panel Discussion
National Association of State School Nurse Consultants
American Speech-Language Hearing Association
Center for School Mental Health
American PT Association
American OT Association
National Association of School Nurses
It is always good to hear the concerns from the therapy associations. Having their support is critical for a successful Medicaid program.
Medicaid Audits
US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General
Ohio needs to get ready for more audits. Our program is starting its sixth year, and with planned expansion, more extensive audits will be coming soon.
EPSDT
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Early Periodic Screening Diagnostic Treatment provides comprehensive and preventative health services that are effective and are more cost effective.
Strategic Partner Fireside Chat
Council for Administrators of Special Education
National Association of Medicaid Directors
American Association of School Administrators
School Based Health Alliance
Healthy Schools Campaign
This will be an interesting discussion on school Medicaid services from a national perspective.
Medicaid Documentation and Cost Allocation
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
This discussion will be related to Medicaid Cost Reporting and Audits. I am excited to hear directly from CMS on their expectations regarding documentation and cost allocation.
The Ohio Collaboration
Ohio Department of Education
Ohio Department of Medicaid
Healthcare Billing Services, Inc.
Healthcare Process Consulting
Rea and Associates CPA Firm
University of Massachusetts
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
I am proud to be part of this panel that will discuss the Ohio Medicaid School Program and our collaboration with the various program stakeholders.
Connecting Kids to Coverage
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
We are hopeful that CMS will have some good ideas on how to make certain that all eligible children have Medicaid coverage and are receiving their needed services.
It’s a full agenda and for those of us who eat, breathe, and sleep Medicaid, it’s like a “Medicaid Geek’s Dream Vacation”. I look forward to updating everyone next week on a great conference.