03/28/2022

CMS Approves Ohio’s ARPA Funding Relief for Medicaid DMEPOS Providers

It’s official!  As a follow-up to OAMES 3/08/22 eBulletin, OAMES is extremely pleased to report that Ohio DMEPOS providers serving Medicaid recipients will soon be receiving relief funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) for home- and community-based services.  This funding is the result of OAMES’ persistent and sustained efforts to educate Ohio regulators and legislators about the valuable role HME providers played during the public health emergency. 

 What does this mean to your company? 

• “Non-institutional DMEPOS providers” will receive a “retro rate increase, approximately 10% lump sum for claim period 7/01/2020 through 6/30/2021”. CMS has approved fee-for-service (FFS) funds, managed care approval is pending.
• ODM made the official announcement late Friday which offers important details about the distributions of funds. Please read this information carefully and use the ODM email provided for any questions about provider payments.
• ARPA relief is two-fold for DME providers: 1) Ohio Home Care and PASSPORT waiver programs (funds already released) and 2) Ohio’s Medicaid DMEPOS program (funds forthcoming).

Background details for your reference.

• ODM officially received CMS approval on 3/22/22. ODM notified OAMES immediately of this development and indicated an official announcement with details was forthcoming.
• Gov. DeWine signed the Executive Order 2022-04D on 3/23/22 to authorize the emergency rule.
• On 3/24/22, ODM filed the emergency rule 5160-1-95 to initiate the process.

This achievement was not easy. 

• Ohio is only the second state in the country to grant ARPA HCBS relief to HME providers; the second is Massachusetts through emergency action last summer.
• OAMES began the effort to gain DMEPOS relief in June last year with support from AAHomecare and NCART. OAMES continued to press participating in ODM surveys, stakeholder calls, meetings with ODM officials and state legislators, and testifying twice before the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee.  
• Achieving this relief was not a given as ODM has had an inconsistent history of recognizing HME providers as HCBS providers in the past when implementing rate increases or reductions.

A massive team effort – thank you!

• OAMES would like to recognize the Board of Directors for their leadership on this issue and specifically thank OAMES president Andy Willhelm, past president Nick Kalogeras, RPh., Laura Williard with the American Association for Homecare, and OAMES executive director Kam Yuricich for their relentless efforts over the past 10 months to help secure this funding for Ohio's HME providers.
• Thank you to OAMES members who support the association through your dues, participation and engagement on issues. We greatly respect the services you provide in your communities and commend you for your commitment to Ohio’s Medicaid patients during these challenging times.
• Thank you to Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, Chief Policy Officer Patrick Beatty, Non-Institutional Policy Section Chief Rafiat Eshett and Policy Administrators Ryan Spindler, Mark Rogers and Dennis Frazier for their time and engagement on this issue. Thank you to members of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee for their attention in supporting DMEPOS providers as well.

If you have any questions about ARPA relief, feel free to reach out to Kam Yuricich at the OAMES office.  For any provider payment questions, use the ODM email ProviderReliefInquiries@medicaid.ohio.gov.  OAMES will continue to follow this issue closely and pass along any additional news from ODM as we receive it.