MMIS Service Agreement Issue

04-23-19

MMIS Service Agreement Issue

Could you please forward this email string along to the MCHSSA group for insight to what other counties are doing with this? 

It’s a concern to our Social Services Supervisor and myself that we are being directed to authorize large amounts in Service Agreements that the provider COULD use anytime within the date span of the SA (this is for CCDTF, Care Coordination and Peer Support Services) 

i.e. We have a service agreement with a provider to provide services 10 days/month for 4 months.  MMIS is not allowing us to only authorize 10 days (8 units per day=80 units/month) for the service agreement span.  We are being directed by DHS to authorize every day in the 4 month span at 8 units per day.  This allows the provider to bill up to that amount, which far exceeds the amount actually authorized.

Is anyone else noticing this as a problem in their county?  How are you tracking so the provider doesn’t take advantage of this?

Thanks!

Carli Goble  carli.goble@co.aitkin.mn.us

Fiscal Supervisor/Collections Officer

Aitkin County Health & Human Services

Phone (218) 927-7200

Initial response to Aitkin County from DHS:

Counties should authorize the date span in which the services COULD be used.  They may only use requested units of the total that was authorized but use those units at varying times within the date span.

Aitkin County internal e-mails:

1. What she came back with, does not address the problem of authorizing big money!

2. So if I am understanding this correctly, she is now directing us to just authorize all of it?

3. Yes, that is what I am understanding too. I wonder if whomever she has talked to understands the concern. Is there anyone else we can appeal to?

Aitkin County e-mail sent to state regarding the prior response:

Thank you for your prompt response. Just so I am understanding DHS’s direction then, you are indicating that counties authorize the 8 units per day per service, if it is being requested, for the entire date span of the service agreement, encumbering large amounts of dollars, to provide the provider access to bill when they provide the service?

This does not address the large amount of dollars being encumbered but we will do this if this is what DHS is directing counties to do.

DHS final response:

Correct! If you like, you can also inform the provider of units per day for tx coord and peer support so they can request units appropriately as well.