CMS Funds 20 States to Help Medicaid Patients Escape
the Need for Emergency Room Services
Local and rural initiatives will provide alternative
health care settings for non-emergent needs
April 21, 2008 - Senior citizens and others who
depend on Medicaid for their medical care may soon have better access to
this care without going through hospital emergency rooms. The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week named the programs in 20
states that will receive $50 million in funding to help avoid the
costly, improper use of emergency room services.
These grants provide new programs and services to
help people get the non-emergency care they need in the most appropriate
setting, CMS Acting Administrator Kerry Weems said. We are committed
to working closely with the states to implement effective reforms to
slow spending growth while maintaining access to coverage.
Created by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA),
these grants will help Medicaid programs fund local and rural
initiatives to provide alternative health care settings for individuals
with non-emergent medical needs.
The DRA provided $50 million to be distributed over
four years (2006-2009) for primary health care programs, primarily in
rural and/or other underserved areas as well as programs that work
closely with community hospitals.
Todays award of $26 million will fund 29 programs
in these 20 states. The remaining $24 million will be available to
those grantees in 2009.
Grantees will use the funds to:
● establish new community health centers;
● extend the hours of operation at existing
clinics;
● educate beneficiaries about new services; and
● provide for electronic health information
exchange between facilities for better coordination of care.
States receiving grant funds under this program are
Colorado , Connecticut , Georgia , Illinois , Indiana , Louisiana ,
Massachusetts , Maryland , Michigan , Missouri , New Jersey , North
Carolina , North Dakota , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , South
Dakota , Tennessee , Utah and Washington .
Todays action helps align Medicaid efforts with
Medicares value-based purchasing strategies, also designed to avoid
unnecessary emergency room visits through improved physician care and
strategies to decrease re-admissions.
The Missouri Department of Social Services will use
its $1,726,074 two-year grant on the Missouri Primary Care Home
Initiative, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
The initiative involves a network of alternative,
non-emergency providers who can facilitate access to primary care for
Medicaid families:
● Community Referral Coordinator Program Referral Coordinators in
hospital emergency departments schedule a timely primary care
appointment for non-emergent patients and provide education regarding
appropriate services;
● Health Education and Literacy Program Health coaches at federally
qualified health centers (such as Jordan Valley Community Health Center
in Springfield) strengthen patients connection to the primary care home
and assist with system navigation;
● Network Master Patient Index Health information exchange across
emergency departments and primary care providers improves referral
patterns and care coordination.
April 21, 2008 - Senior citizens and others who
depend on Medicaid for their medical care may soon have better access to
this care without going through hospital emergency rooms. The Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week named the programs in 20
states that will receive $50 million in funding to help avoid the
costly, improper use of emergency room services.