CMS extends St. Louis-area safety-net experiment

The CMS has approved a three-year extension of a project to redirect Medicaid disproportionate-share funds earmarked for St. Louis-area hospitals to an outpatient safety-net program, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) announced. Initially approved by the CMS in 2002, the program will provide $25 million annually to improve the coordination of safety-net providers in the region, Bond's office said. The plan was set to expire at the end of February. After learning that its renewal was "threatened," Bond intervened and won support from Joshua Bolton, director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to a news release issued by Bond's office. -- by Mary Chris Jaklevic