MHA Today | April 5, 2021

Staff Contact: Brian Kinkade, Kim Duggan or Amy Volkart

The MO HealthNet Division posted the Medicaid state plan amendment for approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to convert Missouri Medicaid outpatient reimbursement from its present percent of billed charges methodology to the Medicaid-based “Simplified Outpatient Fee Schedule.” As posted, the proposed SPA would establish the fee schedule at 90% of the Medicare rate and use the St. Louis area wage index. A 40% add-on would be applied to critical access hospitals, and a 25% add-on would be applied to nominal charge hospitals.

MHA continues to advocate for changes to the state budget to increase the proposed fee schedule to 93.4% of Medicare (at the St. Louis Wage index) and a 25% add-on for children’s hospitals, in addition to the CAH and nominal charge add-ons in the state’s proposal.

Public comment is invited and must be received before Wednesday, May 5. Comments may be delivered in person, by mail or by courier to the following address.

MO HealthNet Division
615 Howerton Ct., 2nd Floor
Jefferson City, MO 65109
Attention: Jamie Purnell

Comments also may be emailed to ask.MHD@dss.mo.gov with “Public Comment for Outpatient Hospital Services” in the subject line.

Staff Contact: Sarah Willson or Jane Drummond

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance that lifts the 30-day limitations restricting hospital surveys to complaints rising to the level of Immediate Jeopardy, that restricted recertification surveys and which halted enforcement actions for deficiencies that did not represent IJ. QSO-21-16-HOSPITALS directs state survey agencies to resume survey activity according to the Non-Long-Term Care Guidance in QSO-20-35-All.

Staff Contact: Sarah Willson or Jackie Gatz

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released updated guidance on emergency preparedness to reflect changes published in the Burden Reduction Final Rule on Sept. 30, 2019. The guidance within the State Operations Manual, Appendix Z now has been updated to reflect the revisions made within this Final Rule. Additionally, the updated guidance reflects CMS direction to include “emerging infectious diseases” to the all-hazards approach included in emergency preparedness programs. MHA is hosting a CMS Conditions of Participation update on Tuesday, May 18, and Wednesday, May 19, to highlight the latest in CMS regulations.

Staff Contact: Shawn Billings or Kelsey Hussey

MHA is hosting the 11th Annual Behavioral Health Summit: Preparing for a New Future. The summit will be held virtually on Thursday, April 22, and Friday, April 23, from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Health care professionals in clinical, operational, patient-focused, employee-centric and community-based roles are encouraged to attend to learn from practitioners and experts who are advising and leading behavioral health initiatives to address challenging issues in behavioral health care. Register on or before Wednesday, April 21, to ensure delivery of instructional materials.

Staff Contact: Alison Williams

BJC Healthcare, CoxHealth and Mercy have partnered with MHA and Alive and Well Communities to launch a pilot to address the impact of personal, community, systemic and historical trauma in the delivery of health care services. The partners will work collaboratively to advance their organizations’ responses to these layers of trauma as part of their commitment to health equity. The pilot will help establish a framework for future expansion of equitable and trauma-informed care programs within the hospital community. Alive and Well Communities believes that to disrupt persistent disparities and cycles of trauma, we need the combination of a grassroots movement and organizational transformation. These efforts support and inform one another, and in combination, allow communities to begin to heal.

Staff Contact: Dana Dahl

The Health Resources and Services Administration is hosting a webinar on federal broadband programs and resources at noon on Wednesday, April 21. The webinar is part of HRSA’s Telehealth Learning Webinar Series, which highlights successful projects, best practices and resources to promote and further the use of telehealth technologies for health care delivery, education and health information services. Topics that will be discussed include the rural health care program, COVID-19 telehealth program, emergency broadband benefit and the Lifeline program. Registration is required.

Staff Contact: Mary Becker

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department and Missouri State University are partnering to vaccinate 10,000 Missouri residents at a mega vaccination event on Thursday, April 8, and Friday, April 9. The event will take place at Hammons Student Center on the MSU campus. To register, visit covidvaccine.mo.gov/navigator/.