Provider Enrollment News Updates for Arkansas and Michigan

Arkansas Improvements to Medicaid Provider Enrollment Process

The Arkansas Division of Medical Services (DMS), part of the Department of Human Services (DHS), has made great strides recently to strengthen the Medicaid provider enrollment process. In doing so, they have created a more user-friendly process that should save time for doctors, hospitals and other Medicaid providers.

Some of the improvements are:

• Reorganizing the provider enrollment call center – without using any additional funds – which reduced the average call center wait time from more than an hour to about 70 seconds.

• Staffing up with 27 short-term contract workers to tackle the backlog of pending enrollment and revalidation applications. The result? DMS was able to resume normal volume by the end of June.

• Posted a checklist of required documents and step-by-step instructions online to make it easier for providers to complete the online application correctly.

• Revised processes for site visits and finger-print based background checks so they align with federal requirements for moderate and high-risk providers.

Those providers with revalidation dates on or after November 1, 2019 will only have to complete a streamlined, pre-populated revalidation application instead of a full enrollment application.

Importantly, because of all these changes, the revalidation deadline for enrolled providers with revalidation dates on or before May 31, 2019 has been extended to August 30, 2019.

Visit the provider enrollment portal to check your revalidation status and deadline, or to submit a revalidation application.

Michigan Health Providers for Medicaid Beneficiaries Must Enroll by October 1

Health providers in Michigan must adhere to an important enrollment deadline in order for their Medicaid beneficiaries to continue to fill prescriptions.

Those providers who prescribe medications to Medicaid beneficiaries in Michigan must enroll by October 1 in the Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System (CHAMPS) to meet federal requirements. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services must, per federal requirements, prohibit prescription drug claim payments written by a provider not enrolled in CHAMPS.

The Affordable Care Act and the 21st Century Cures Act requires prescribers to enroll to strengthen program integrity and quality of care. Providers are urged to register as soon as possible so as not to interrupt patient drug therapy.

You can visit this Medicare provider website and click on Provider Enrollment box for more information. For questions, call MDHHS Provider Support at 800-292-2550.

Let Us Manage All Your Payer Enrollment and Credentialing Services

If you require medical credentialing and payer enrollment needs for your practice or medical facility, please contact 1st Assistant. Our experienced and dedicated specialists will provide all credentialing and enrollment services quickly and will monitor your account for ongoing updates and re-attestations. Heidi Henderson, Vice President of Credentialing, is eager to meet you and discuss your payer enrollment needs. Please call us at 512.201.2668 or contact us via the website.