CMS urges states to better integrate care for Medicare, Medicaid patients

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today encouraged governors and state Medicaid directors to partner with the agency to better integrate care for beneficiaries eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. The letter to state Medicaid directors describes three new models to test state-driven approaches to integrating care for dually eligible individuals, in addition to 10 existing opportunities highlighted in a letter last December. “Less than 10 percent of dually eligible individuals are enrolled in any form of care that integrates Medicare and Medicaid services, and instead have to navigate disconnected delivery and payment systems,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “This lack of coordination can lead to fragmented care for individuals, misaligned incentives for payers and providers, and administrative inefficiencies and programmatic burdens for all.”