May 4, 2018  |  Issue 4  |  Volume 3
Medicaid e-News
Announcements:
IA Health Link Members Regain Choice
Amerigroup Iowa has notified the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) that they have the capacity to begin accepting new IA Health Link members again. Because of this, DHS  has ended its temporary suspension of Managed Care Organization (MCO) choice.

New IA Health Link members with an effective coverage date of May 1 or later are able to choose Amerigroup Iowa as their MCO.

Current IA Health Link members are able to change their MCO during their annual choice period or for reasons of ' Good Cause.'

Public Notice and Request for Comment
Earlier this month, DHS provided public notices regarding it's intention to renew its Home- and Community-Based Services Children's Mental Health (CMH) and Elderly Waiver programs with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for another five years.

All public comments on the Department's CMH Waiver renewal must be received by May 9, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.

And, all public comments on the Department's Elderly Waiver renewal must be received by May 16, 2018 at 4:30 p.m.
Latest Medicaid Managed Care Quarterly Report is Now Available

The latest quarterly report for the Iowa Medicaid Managed Care Organizations is now available online.

This report, which was released March 28, 2018, includes performance data from October through December 2017 for Amerigroup Iowa, Inc., AmeriHealth Caritas, Inc. and UnitedHealthcare Plan of the River Valley, Inc. ( AmeriHealth Caritas did not have members enrolled in December 2017.)

Reminders:
Good Cause
Remember, members  requesting to change their Managed Care Organization (MCO) due to 'Good Cause,' f irst must contact their current MCO to go through their grievance process for resolution. If the issue has not been resolved following the decision of the grievance, the member may call Iowa Medicaid Member Services. The final decision for disenrollment will be determined by the Department of Human Services (DHS). For more information click here.

Provider Tools and Resources:
Providers are Encouraged to Verify Eligibility
The Eligibility and Verification Information System (ELVS) line is very busy during the first of the month. The ELVS web portal  is another option for providers in lieu of calling the ELVS line but each provider must enroll through the Electronic Data Interchange Support Services (EDISS). The ELVS web portal allows for multiple eligibility checks and batch submission, where as the ELVS phone system only allows for one at a time.

Login ID and password may be obtained through EDISS by submitting the following Access Request Form to EDISS or calling EDISS at 1-800-967-7902. 
 
Provider Resource Pages
Comprehensive provider resource pages are available for each Managed Care Organization (MCO), featuring provider training manuals, webinars and important updates. View them below:


Looking for an Old Issue of the Medicaid e-News?
Each edition features useful tools and important updates. Now you can quickly access old issues to find what your looking for. Visit the Iowa Medicaid newsletter page 
where you'll find links to each issue.

Iowa Medicaid Contacts
Iowa Medicaid Provider Services
1-800-338-7909
IA Health Link Member Services
1-800-600-4441

1-800-464-9484
IA Health Link Provider Services
1-800-454-3730

1-888-650-3462
Dental Wellness Plan Member Services
1-888-472-2793

1-855-247-6262
Dental Wellness Plan Provider Services
1-888-472-1205

1-855-856-6262

Informational Letters
Informational letters are posted through the Iowa Medicaid Portal Application (IMPA) system and are available on the DHS website  here .  These letters communicate important policies and procedures for providers and their administrative staff. 

Iowa Medicaid Enterprise | IMECommunications@dhs.state.ia.us | dhs.iowa.gov
100 Army Post Rd., Des Moines, IA 50315
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