DHS’s new Medicaid system set to launch

The Arkansas Department of Human Services is launching a program to streamline services for Medicaid providers, and Garland County providers have been asked to register.

Arkansas’ new Medicaid Management Information System, which launches Nov. 1, will provide a more efficient reimbursement method for providers and the state and will streamline claims processing, according to a DHS news release.

“Medicaid and health care in general has

changed a great deal over the years, and states must adapt to those changes through technology,” Amy Webb, chief of communications and community engagement at DHS, said in an email.

Glenn Bolick, public information manager, said that 1,428 providers in Garland County will be affected by the new system. In an email, Bolick said that DHS needs to make sure providers have registered with the new MMIS to get paid in 2018.

The release said that the system MMIS is replacing “is more than 30 years old and runs on outdated mainframe technology.” The new system will carry the burden of processing claims submitted by providers, which totaled more than $45 million in the 2016 fiscal year.

Providers or their billing entities must obtain a new “trading partner ID” in order to submit electronic claims in the new system. These new IDs replace submitter IDs, and will ensure that payments will be submitted in a timely fashion.

Providers must also register on the new provider portal to access the system’s new services, which include renewing claim statuses, submitting electronic claims, submitting prior authorization forms and real-time eligibility verification.

“It is something all providers have to use and need to know about,” Webb said.

Given these improvements, DHS also anticipates that a few tweaks will need to be made after the system is launched. Webb said that her department specifically anticipates inaccuracies in claims processing and providers trying to bill under old IDs due to not registering for a new one.

These specific inaccuracies, she said, are based on similar systems that have been launched in other states.

“With any system this size, issues will most certainly come up,” Webb said.

Webb said that Arkansas Medicaid has run over 20,000 test cases in the new MMIS — more than twice as many test cases run by other states implementing the updated system — to minimize inaccuracies. She also said that providers have been asked to test the new system and cite any problems that arise.

“Once the system ‘goes live,’ our contractor will have additional technical and support staff in state so that they can fix any issues quickly,” Webb said.

“We have worked hard to minimize the risks and are prepared to quickly address any issues that arise,” Division of Medical Services Director Rose Naff said in the release. “We have conducted extensive training across the state for Medicaid providers to get acquainted with the new system and internally we tested 350,000 claims. We will continue testing the system all the way up to November.”

Medicaid providers can register for the portal and obtain a trading partner ID at https:// www.medicaid.state.ar.us/provider/FL_HELP.html.