New Mexico In Depth (https://nmindepth.com/tag/health-care/page/4/)
Two of 15 audited organizations have agreed to repay more than $4 million to Medicaid because of overbilling, the state announced Monday. But the state isn’t publicly releasing the settlements or saying what type of billing practices led to the Medicaid overpayments, making it difficult to understand the significance of Monday’s announcement.
Heath Haussamen talked this morning about the behavioral health audit and the effects of the state’s freezing Medicaid payments to providers.
Been looking for a timeline of events to help you sort through the behavioral health shakeup in New Mexico? Click on the headline.
New Mexico In Depth Deputy Director Heath Haussamen spoke this morning with host Randy Harris on the program Let’s talk, Las Cruces about the behavioral health audit and the effects of the state’s freezing Medicaid payments to providers. Click on the headline to listen.
On June 24, Medicaid funding was suspended for 15 New Mexico health organizations. Five Arizona firms were given emergency, no-bid contracts to take over 12 of those organizations and their patients. The state maintains the transition is smooth. For some it is not.
Federal authorities Wednesday heard directly from more than two dozen clients concerned about the continuing disruptions of services in New Mexico. One after another, men and women, adult patients and parents of children, recounted problems getting behavioral health services.
Three out of four of the counselors who treated patients at Valencia Counseling Services in Los Lunas are no longer working there, and that has the new management team on edge. “Anyone who says there hasn’t been disruption is naïve,” said Valle del Sol’s Chief Executive Officer Kurt Sheppard.
We already know the state attorney general is investigating allegations of fraud against 15 health organizations in New Mexico. Emails show the state’s Human Services Department also kept in regular contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about the allegations.
Saying they were frustrated by lack of information from Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration, New Mexico lawmakers voted 15-1 Wednesday to object to a plan by the state to move $10.3 million around to pay for new management teams at 12 N.M. behavioral health agencies.
Here are 10 unanswered questions about the behavioral health audit and Medicaid payments freeze that lawmakers might be asking at today’s Legislative Finance Committee hearing in Chama.