Regarding “Bill would require Medicaid to pay promptly”:

Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) may have their priorities confused. Medicaid, if anything, pays too soon.

Medicaid fraud is at an all-time high. Why would anyone suggest speeding up a process that's plagued with criminal activity attributable in part to the way providers are paid? Medicaid and the public's interest would be better served if the CMS, while developing their new $10 million technology center, could integrate a system that audits each claim as it is received, identifies patterns, and rejects claims based on verified provider identities and credentialing. The technology does currently exist.

What's more, Medicaid currently pays, in some cases, weekly. The lawmakers may not have done all the right research. Issues may exist inside provider practices. If an entity bills monthly, surely they would not expect to be paid any sooner than that. Some providers bill weekly, yielding earlier turnaround. Furthermore, many provider practices have failed to keep up with reimbursement options because they have not invested in the initial and ongoing training of staff. There are some older providers who still paper-bill for services, which adds weeks to reimbursement. I would suggest the lawmakers educate themselves regarding Medicaid reimbursement and refrain from taking the first provider notion and running with it.

Shereese Maynard
Towson, Md.
CEO
MayHAC Corp.