Advocacy

Angus McAlpin, MD testifies in Support of Prior Authorization Reform

Legislators on the Joint Labor, Health, and Social Services Committee approved a bill designed to relieve the administrative burden on physicians and clinical staff while giving patients faster access to medical services.

Bill draft 68, if passed into law, would impose limits on the process of prior authorization by health insurance companies.

Dr. Angus McAlpin, a member of the Wyoming Medical Society Board of Trustees, agreed that not only does prior authorization contribute to burnout, but it also prevents doctors from fully doing their job. He said Rep. Sarah Penn, R-Lander, was correct when she compared it to teachers not being able to teach in the classroom.

"Prior authorization has created severe administrative burdens that have caused medical professionals to leave the field," McAlpin said. "There is a nationwide physician shortage, and current physicians are spending more time dealing with administrative work than caring for patients."

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Banu Symington, MD featured on a KevinMD Podcast

Dr. Symington discusses her passion for rural patient advocacy and describes some of the challenges that patients and doctors are facing, such as brown bagging, white bagging, patient steering and more.

Click below to listen to the podcast.

Listen to the Podcast

Read Dr. Symington's Letter

2023 Annual Meeting

Claim your CME before it's too late

If you attended the 2023 WMS Annual Meeting, please don't forget to claim your CME as soon as possible! Attendees are able claim up to 11 hours of CME for participation at this year's conference.

If you need assistance, please contact the WMS office at 307-635-2424 or email whitney@wyomed.org.

WY State Hospital

Wyoming State Hospital leadership changes

An interim administrator is stepping in following the retirement of Paul Mullenax, a longtime leader at the Wyoming State Hospital (WSH) in Evanston, a Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) healthcare facility.

Kristi Barker will lead the hospital’s staff on an interim basis as a search for a more permanent administrator continues. Barker has a master's degree in health administration and has been with WSH for 19 years in various roles, most recently working as WSH business manager.

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CMS Updates

Wyoming approved to extend postpartum coverage for a full year to people with Medicaid

CMS approved a postpartum coverage extension state plan amendment (SPA) for Wyoming to extend postpartum coverage for a full year for individuals enrolled in Medicaid.

The opportunity to extend postpartum coverage was made possible under the American Rescue Plan and made permanent in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Wyoming’s approval marks 37 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year. This approval supports the CMS Maternity Care Action Plan and Biden-Harris Maternal Health Blueprint.

Other News

Medicaid Unwinding: Priorities, Innovation and States’ Progress

A National Association of Medicaid Directors blog post discusses the current state of the unwinding. The blog lifts up where priorities at all levels are aligned and what states are doing to improve the redetermination process for Medicaid members. The blog post also profiles SHVS’ States of Unwinding series, which tracks state efforts to support coverage through the unwinding period.

Boosting Ex Parte Renewal Rates

To understand the barriers to successful ex parte renewals and opportunities to improve them, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Access Commission contracted with Mathematica to conduct a roundtable with federal and state Medicaid officials and subject matter experts in June 2023. This issue brief describes the key themes and opportunities for improvement that emerged.