CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) March Announcements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) is pleased to share: Webinar: Strategies for Health Plans to Support Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Vulnerable Populations Webinar: Promoting Disability-Competent Care during COVID-19 New COVID-19 vaccination blog from Resources for Integrated Care HPMS memo: Opportunities to maximize COVID-19 vaccinations among dually eligible individuals Frequently asked questions about Medicare Part A and B “buy-in” Updated state phased-down billing guide Webinar: Strategies for Health Plans to Support Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Vulnerable Populations Date/Time: Thursday, April 1, 2021 – 12:30-2:00pm ET Individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection, and are hospitalized with COVID-19 at a rate three times higher than Medicare-only beneficiaries.1 As COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available to beneficiaries, it’s critical that high risk individuals have equitable access to the vaccine. Health plans play a key role in promoting equitable access to and educating members on the importance of COVID-19 vaccines. This webinar will share strategies for how health plans can leverage benefits (e.g., transportation services), care coordination resources, and community-based partnerships to support members’ access to vaccinations; use data to identify and target outreach to the most vulnerable members; and utilize effective and culturally competent communication and outreach strategies to address vaccine hesitancy. By the end of this webinar, participants should be able to: Identify strategies to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, including effective collaborations with community partners Describe how to use data to identify high-risk members and target outreach to encourage uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine Identify key considerations for effective communication and outreach strategies to increase vaccine confidence Featured Speakers: Marvin Figueroa, Director, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Shelly Winston, Division of Part D Policy, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Beejadi Mukunda, MD, Medical Director, MyCare Ohio, CareSource Jennifer Anadiotis, Director, Integrated Care Post-Acute Strategy, CareSource Alex Li, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, L.A. Care Health Plan Misty de Lamare, Director of Communications, L.A. Care Health Plan Register here. Webinar: Promoting Disability-Competent Care during COVID-19 Date/Time: Thursday, April 22, 2021 1:30-3:00 pm ET Individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are at greater risk for severe COVID-19 infection and resulting hospitalizations, and are at greater risk of adverse health outcomes from the disease. Dually eligible individuals with disability face even greater health care challenges that are exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Such challenges include increased rates of chronic conditions associated with negative outcomes from COVID-19, social and behavioral health challenges, as well as increased barriers to technology, internet, and private transportation. Dually eligible individuals with disability are also more likely to have long-term services and supports (LTSS) needs, which may require at-home personal care services or nursing facility care, thus increasing their risk of exposure to COVID-19. Health plans and providers play an important role in promoting disability-competent care (DCC) to respond to and address the unique challenges amplified by this public health crisis. This webinar will begin with an overview of Resources for Integrated Care’s Disability Competent Care model, followed by two health plans sharing promising practices and innovative strategies for addressing the unique needs of dually eligible individuals with disability during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Finally, a participant will share firsthand experiences and recommendations on serving individuals with disability during COVID-19. Featured Speakers: Chris Duff, Disability Practice and Policy Consultant Gabriel Uribe, Director of Community Health, Inland Empire Health Plan Anna Edwards, Clinical Director of Care Management, Inland Empire Health Plan Stephanie Rasmussen, Vice President of LTSS, Sunflower Health Plan Jose Hernandez, Participant Continuing Education Credits will be available for this webinar through the National Association of Social Workers at no cost to participants. Register here. New COVID-19 Vaccination Blog from Resources for Integrated Care Health plans can play a key role in supporting equitable access, uptake, and delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations through the engagement of members and providers. Ensuring that members receive COVID-19 vaccinations is particularly important to plans serving individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, as the population is at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19. 2,3,4,5 To support plans in these efforts, Resources for Integrated Care (RIC) is spotlighting promising practices on vaccination access, uptake, and delivery in a series of blog posts. Visit the blog here: https://www.resourcesforintegratedcare.com/COVID-19_Vaccination_Blog. Please check back weekly for new posts! HPMS Memo: Opportunities to maximize COVID-19 vaccinations among dually eligible individuals On February 18, CMS released a memo, “Opportunities to maximize COVID-19 vaccinations among dually eligible individuals” to remind D-SNPs, PACE organizations, and MMPs of their unique opportunities to ensure equitable access and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The memo includes information on active preparation for equitable vaccination, opportunities to increase vaccination through plan benefit structures, and helpful resources to support this priority. Frequently Asked Questions about Medicare Part A and B “Buy-in” On March, 10, CMS posted Frequently Asked Questions about Medicare Part A and B “Buy-in” related to the Manual for State Payment of Medicare Premiums (formerly called “State Buy-in Manual”). Released in September 2020, the manual updates information and instructions to states on federal policy, operations, and systems concerning the payment of Medicare Parts A and B premiums (or buy-in) for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Also available on the State Payment of Medicare Premiums site are various opportunities for training and technical assistance for our state and other partners including Five Key Policy Topics From the Updated Manual on State Payment of Medicare Premiums webinar. We will continue to provide additional training materials at https://www.cms.gov/medicare-medicaid-coordination/medicare-medicaid-coordination-office/state-payment-medicare-premiums.  Updated State Phased-Down Billing Guide On March 11, CMS released the updated State Phased-Down Billing Guide. The guide updates information and instructions for states on operations concerning the phased down contribution process, and is now available online for the first time. Through this process, states make monthly payments to CMS, representing a portion of the Medicare Part D drug expenditures for dually eligible beneficiaries.  The guide is available at: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-medicaid-coordination/medicare-medicaid-coordination-office/state-phased-down-billing 1 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2020. Preliminary Medicare COVID-19 Data Snapshot. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/files/document/medicare-covid-19-data-snapshot-fact-sheet.pdf 2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. COVID-19 – Older Adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html 3 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. COVID-19 – People with Certain Medical Conditions. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html 4 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. COVID-19 – People with Disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-disabilities.html