Kansas nursing homes are struggling to keep up with processing of Medicaid applications and annual renewals, according to a report by KCUR.
The processing system for Medicaid in Kansas is a privatized program called KanCare, which has been beset by issues following some recent transitions.
From KCUR:
In July the state switched to new software — the Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System, also known as KEES — to determine eligibility, and in January the Kansas Department of Health and Environment took over eligibility processing duties that had been handled by the Department for Children and Families.
The new computer system requires state employees to use dozens of time-consuming workarounds, while funneling all applications through KDHE has caused a bottleneck. The result is a backlog of Medicaid applications waiting to be processed that has been as high as 10,000.
Members of all KanCare-eligible populations — children, pregnant women and Kansans who are elderly or disabled — have been affected by the processing delays.
But financially the burden may have fallen most acutely on the state’s nursing homes, which rely heavily on Medicaid. Some nursing homes have provided more than $1 million in uncompensated care as they wait months for residents’ Medicaid coverage to process.
Governor Sam Brownback has made efforts to assist the state’s nursing homes with processing delays; health care providers can check the status of residents’ pending applications by sending a spreadsheet directly to state contractor Maximus. In addition, KDHE has also brought on 20 new employees to help smooth the transition.
Photo by Christian Schnettelker via Flickr CC License
