Reimbursement Resources for Health Care Providers Affected by Hurricane Ike

FAQs

Related Action Alert

Hurricane Update page

Updated noon Sept. 22, 2008

The Texas Department of Insurance issued an amendment to its Sept. 14 Commissioner's Bulletin extending filing deadlines and waiving penalties for out-of-network health-related claims. Five counties have been added to those listed in TDI’s original bulletin: Grimes, Houston, Madison, Rusk and Washington. TDI's bulletin also states that health insurance companies and health maintenance organizations should not deny payment for necessary emergency and non-emergency health and dental services that are obtained out-of-network as a result of the threat of imminent disaster through the duration of the governor's disaster proclamation.
THHSC has posted claims processing information for providers who may be caring for Hurricane Ike-affected patients in the Medicaid Primary Care Case Management and Fee-for-Service programs or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Information also may found on the Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership’s Web site at www.tmhp.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: This list of questions/answers began with a conference call hosted by THA for hospitals and staff from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. This list will be updated frequently as more questions are forwarded to THA staff and as new information is shared by applicable state and federal agencies. If you have a Hurricane Ike reimbursement-related question or concern not addressed here, please forward your inquiry to THA’s Ernie Schmid at eschmid@tha.org.

Q. Whom can I contact if I am having difficulty with pre-authorization or issues related to claims processing for Medicaid and/or CHIP patients?

A. Providers may contact THHSC at 512/491-1143.

Q. Where can I find a list of ZIP codes for the Hurricane Ike-affected counties?

A. A list of Hurricane Ike-affected ZIP codes is available on TMHP’s Web site.

Q. Is expedited enrollment available for providers who wish to enroll in the Texas Medicaid program?

A. Yes. Providers not currently enrolled in the Texas Medicaid program, but who are rendering services to a Texas Medicaid-eligible Hurricane Ike evacuee can contact TMHP's Chastidy Artis at 512/506-6131 to discuss a limited enrollment process that may be available.

Q. Some hospitals currently are housing discharged patients who cannot return home or who need additional care in a non-acute-care setting. What are the options for these patients?

A. THHSC is looking into this issue. Patients who are stable enough for discharge to home may qualify for FEMA-assisted hotel/motel lodging. A listing of participating hotels is available online at www.FEMAEvacHotels.com. The assistance period is from Sept. 14 forward. Applicants are responsible for meals and lodging above the authorized allowances. For non-participating hotels, hold your receipts and FEMA will assist. To ensure reimbursement, individuals must first apply for FEMA assistance through www.fema.gov or 800/621-FEMA (TTY is 800/462-7585).

Q. Will there be an uncompensated care pool, similar to what was in effect for Hurricane Katrina? Should my hospital keep track of uncompensated care costs related to the treatment of Hurricane Ike evacuees? What are the reporting requirements?

A. At this time, it is not known if there will be a pool. In the event that funding is available, hospitals should be identifying and recording their uncompensated care costs related to the treatment of Hurricane Ike evacuees. THA is working with THHSC to define which populations to include, what dates are covered and other variables to record. Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

Q. Will special consideration be given to reprocessing rejected Medicaid fee-for-service and PCCM claims in affected areas? Is my hospital affected?

A. Yes. THHSC is reviewing rejected claims in selected regions to assess and automatically reprocess these claims. THHSC is gathering a list of which regions will be targeted; updates will be posted here when available.

Q. My hospital has nursing home patients that need to be returned to their home area. What information is available related to long-term care?

A. Chris Adams, director of survey operations at the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, and his staff may be able to assist. Contact Adams at chris.adams@dads.state.tx.us or at 512/438-5695.