New York State Medicaid Update - February 2018 Volume 34 - Number 2
In this issue …
New Medicare Card Replacement Initiative (cover)
Reminder
In an effort to combat identity theft and safeguard taxpayer dollars, the United States Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 directing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove any reference to a Social Security Number (SSN) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. This mandated national undertaking, formerly referred to by CMS as the Social Security Number Removal Initiative (SSNRI), is now known simply as the New Medicare Card replacement initiative.
The focal point of the New Medicare Card replacement initiative is the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) which will replace a recipient's existing SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) currently inscribed on their Medicare benefits card. The MBI will be used for all Medicare transactions including eligibility status, claims, and billing. CMS will begin issuing MBIs and mailing new Medicare cards to active beneficiaries in April 2018 in advance of meeting the Congressionally-mandated deadline. Additionally, inactive Medicare beneficiaries will have an MBI assigned to their historical record but will not receive a new Medicare card.
In preparation for the national transition from HICN to MBI, state agencies across the country are in the process of readying their respective Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and all associated downstream data systems to support usage of the MBI for "dual eligible" (Medicare and Medicaid) beneficiaries. The New York State Department of Health continues to work diligently to make programmatic changes in eMedNY in support of CMS' issuance of new Medicare cards to New York beneficiaries (currently slated for June 2018). Downstream data partners are expected to make similar programmatic changes to their respective systems and to likewise work in concert with their respective stakeholder communities.
For more information, please visit the following CMS resources:
- CMS Press Release: https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2017-Press-releases-items/2017-05-30.html
- General Information Portal: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/new-medicare-card/nmc-home.html
- Information for State Medicaid Agencies: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/New-Medicare-Card/States/States.html
- Information for Providers: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/New-Medicare-Card/Providers/Providers.html
NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Update
The NY Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program provides financial incentives to eligible professionals and hospitals to promote the transition to EHRs. Providers who practice using EHRs are in the forefront of improving quality, reducing costs, and addressing health disparities. Since December 2011, more than $889 million in incentive funds have been distributed through 31,783 payments to New York State Medicaid providers.
| Eligible Professionals & Eligible Hospitals Total | |
|---|---|
| Payments Made: | Amount Paid: |
| 31,783 | $889,384,924 |
NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Listserv
The NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program listserv is a convenient way to have program announcements delivered right to your inbox. The program publishes listserv messages monthly, or more often when important changes to the program impact our participating providers. In the NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program listserv you can expect to find:
- Current payment totals
- Updates regarding the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Administrative Support Service (MEIPASS) system
- Attestation dates and deadlines
- Current quarter webinar schedule
- Program requirements
- Links to training resources and tutorials
- CMS final rule releases and programmatic changes
To make sure you never miss out on new program information, register today!
To Register for the NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Listserv
Send an email to: listserv@list.ny.gov. In the body of the message, enter: SUBSCRIBE EHR_INCENTIVE-L YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME
For example, if your name is John Doe, you would enter: SUBSCRIBE EHR_INCENTIVE-L John Doe
Additionally, those interested in receiving information on the Public Health Reporting Objective for the EHR Incentive Program can register for the Meaningful Use (MU) Public Health Reporting listserv. The MU Public Health Reporting listserv provides information on:
- Medicare and Medicaid updates
- Changes to public health reporting
- Initiatives to the MU Public Health Objective
- Deadline reminders
To Register for the MU Public Health Reporting LISTSERV
Send an email to: listserv@list.ny.gov. In the body of the message, enter: SUBSCRIBE PUBLIC_HEALTH-L YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME
For example, if your name is John Doe, you would enter: SUBSCRIBE Public_Health-L John Doe
For more information on the NY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program listserv or the MU Public Health Reporting listserv, visit the EHR Listserv Notifications page here: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/ehr/listserv/index.htm.
Contact us at 877-646-5410, option 2 or hit@health.ny.gov. Questions? We have a dedicated support team ready to assist.
The Medicaid Update is a monthly publication of the New York State Department of Health.
Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor
State of New York
Howard A. Zucker, M.D., J.D.
Commissioner
New York State Department of Health
Jason A. Helgerson
Medicaid Director
Office of Health Insurance Programs
