The healthcare companies that will take over Iowa’s Medicaid system April 1st have agreed to use many of the same forms, to address complaints about paperwork overload. Cynthia MacDonald of Amerigroup says this kind of cooperation is uncommon.
“Actually it’s refreshing and it’s great and I think we have committed to working through,” she says. “Are there some ways that we could, you know, work together and figure out some of those streamlined processes?”
Some Iowa doctors and other health care providers have reportedly decided to quit accepting Medicaid patients because of the looming problem of submitting different forms, including bills, to three different health care companies. In addition to the announcement about unified forms, MacDonald says all three managed care companies want to figure out other ways to cut the administrative paperwork for Iowa health care providers.
“I think we’re highly motivated to do that,” she says.
MacDonald along with officials from the other two companies met with legislators Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about the April 1 switch to private managed care for 560,000 Iowa Medicaid patients.
Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Sarah Boden