Today the Texas Health and Human Services Commission published a public notice of intent to change Medicaid therapy rates in the Texas Register. The notice outlined the state’s intent to submit an amendment to the Medicaid state plan to implement new therapy rates that would take effect July 15, 2016.
“The methodology that HHSC is using to calculate these therapy rates appears to be the same proposed last fall to take effect October 1, 2015. Some therapy services would see rate reductions of nearly 26 percent under the proposal, which home health therapy providers would not be able to withstand,” said Rachel Hammon, Executive Director of the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice. “We are disappointed that HHSC refuses to implement an actuarially-sound cost reporting methodology and continues to rely on flawed data contained in the Texas A&M study performed last year as the justification for these rate reductions.”
The proposed reimbursement rate cuts come at the same time several Medicaid Managed Care Organizations have announced their own reductions to the reimbursement rates paid to therapy providers.
“In light of the recent reductions to therapy services proposed by several Medicaid Managed Care Organizations using the Texas Medicaid Fee Schedule as the starting point, HHSC’s proposal to make such deep cuts will result in thousands of medically-fragile children and adults going without medically-necessary therapy services,” said Hammon.
The therapy services in question help children with birth defects, genetic disorders, physical or cognitive disabilities and those born prematurely to function in daily life. For seniors and adults, the therapy may help in recovery from a broken hip or with progressive diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. A doctor prescribes the therapy in response to a patient’s medical need.
View the press release here. For press inquiries, please contact Bill Noble at (512) 296-4651 (cell) or email at bnoble@noblestrategic.com.