Computer problems are plaguing state Medicaid agencies across the nation, according to a number of recent reports, causing everything from overpayments and unauthorized payments to extra front-end work for providers. Technical glitches have been reported for systems in Louisiana, Florida, Colorado and Maine.
In Louisiana, several providers have said the state's Clinical Advisor system--developed by Connecticut-based Magellan Health Services--has prevented them from submitting claims, Gambit reports. While some providers said their passwords weren't working, others indicated the system wouldn't allow them to enter patient medical records and diagnoses.
Specifically, Cecilia McNeil--chief of operations and finance for Chalmette, La.-based mental health rehabilitation provider the Guidance Center--said information she entered into the system simply vanished overnight, causing her to have to re-enter that data into the system all over again.
"It's caused a huge among of extra work for us," she tells Gambit.
Meanwhile in Florida, glitches in a computer billing system implemented by the state's Agency for Health Care Administration have made it nearly impossible to bill the state's 67 counties for Medicaid expenses with any accuracy, according to a commentary in The Ledger. The AHCA reported more than $300 million in uncollected Medicaid bills, the commentary notes, much of which will need to be repaid by the counties, according to an article in The St. Augustine Record.
In Colorado, computer glitches have caused processing delays for eligibility benefits, as well as incorrect information to be sent to recipients, The Denver Post reports.
Maine's issues are well-documented, as well. The state's Medicaid system, according to the Bangor Daily News, likely will have to repay the federal government after 19,000 citizens not eligible for Medicaid received such benefits due to a computer glitch.
To learn more:
- read this Gambit article
- check out the commentary in The Ledger
- here's the St. Augustine Record story
- read the Denver Post piece
- check out the Bangor Daily News article