State signs contract for new Louisiana Medicaid management system

March 1, 2012

Categories: Press Releases

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BATON ROUGE – The State of Louisiana has signed the contract to develop and implement the state’s new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) by the end of 2014. The new system will deliver a more modern, flexible and efficient web-centric platform for interconnected health care delivery for the state’s Medicaid providers and recipients.

Louisiana in June 2011 selected CNSI, a Maryland-based health care technology services company, to replace the state’s current MMIS and fiscal agent operations.

BATON ROUGE – The State of Louisiana has signed the contract to develop and implement the state’s new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) by the end of 2014. The new system will deliver a more modern, flexible and efficient web-centric platform for interconnected health care delivery for the state’s Medicaid providers and recipients.

Louisiana in June 2011 selected CNSI, a Maryland-based health care technology services company, to replace the state’s current MMIS and fiscal agent operations.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Louisiana’s contract with CNSI earlier this month. The Louisiana Division of Administration formally executed the $185 million contract with CNSI on Feb. 27.

CNSI’s next-generation system, the only one of its kind on the market, offers the State significant cost savings through efficiencies while also facilitating faster provider payments and improved fraud detection. Medicaid enrollees will have access to a complete 360-degree view of their health care services through both a secure online portal and a call center. The system will also facilitate mobile-enabled business processes between the agency and providers.

“We’re excited to begin work with CNSI to develop an innovative system that makes navigating Medicaid easier for recipients and providers, ” said DHH Undersecretary Jerry Phillips.

CNSI shares the state’s goal of improving health outcomes and delivering high-quality health care services to Louisiana residents in the most cost-effective fashion, ” said CNSI President Adnan Ahmed. “A changing federal health care landscape requires a management and payment system that can adapt. Our modern platform gives Louisiana the ability to make changes more quickly and easily, ultimately benefiting the state’s Medicaid providers and enrollees.”

The contract includes a 36-month development and implementation period for the new Medicaid platform. The system is based on the innovative eCAMs® platform that CNSI has successfully implemented in the states of Michigan and Washington. Those two state systems recently completed certification by CMS.

Upon implementation of the Louisiana MMIS, CNSI will maintain system operations and assume fiscal agent responsibilities as well.

CNSI’s development of the system will include several key components designed to ultimately provide ease-of-use and efficiency to health care providers and enrollees. One such component is provider re-enrollment and outreach, which CNSI will begin early in the development process. A new secure online Medicaid portal that is part of the new system will help facilitate communication with the providers throughout the enrollment process. The Medicaid portal will be a public website designed to provide information to the State, health care providers and enrollees. The portal will offer bulletins, frequently asked questions, state contact information, Medicaid program and policy information, training schedules and material and upcoming events. “We see providers as a key stakeholder in the Medicaid system and will want to both educate them on our new payment platform and gather input on how to make our services the best they can be for all stakeholders, ” Ahmed said.

CNSI has partnered with Noridian Administrative Services, LLC, which is supporting administrative and health care operations, Magellan Medicaid Administration, Inc., which is providing pharmacy benefit administration support, and several other key service providers.

Formed in 1994, CNSI is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which also houses the company’s R&D Center of Excellence. In addition to the newly opened office in Louisiana, CNSI has offices in Washington, D.C., as well as the states of Michigan and Washington.

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