Specialists

Articles with relevant information for Specialists.

Provider Alert! Families First Coronavirus Response Act Information

Attention: Financial Management Services Agencies and Consumer Directed Services employers Effective Date: This rule is in effect April 2, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event. Call to action: The United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued a temporary rule implementing...

Provider Alert!

Provider Alert! Live EVV Training Webinars in June

Attention: Existing Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Users Effective Date: June 16-June 17 Call to action: In June, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) will hold live Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) policy and EVV Portal training webinars for program providers currently required to use EVV. How this impacts providers: Program providers must complete EVV Portal training and EVV policy training annually. See the following link for more information: https://hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/providers/long-term-care/evv/evv-required-training-checklist.pdf Next steps for providers: To meet the annual training requirement,...

Provider Alert!

Provider Alert! Cures Act EVV: Required EVV Training Webinars in May and June

Attention: Financial Management Services Agencies (FMSA) Effective Date: 6/2/2020 – 6/3/2020 Call to action: In May and June, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Texas Medicaid & Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) will hold live Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) policy and EVV Portal training webinars for program providers and financial management service agencies (FMSAs) required to use EVV by the Cures Act. How this impacts providers: Program providers and FMSAs affected by the Cures Act EVV expansion must complete EVV Portal training and EVV policy...

Provider Alert! COVID-19 Medicaid Pharmacy Benefit Updated May 4, 2020

Attention: All Providers and Pharmacies Effective Date: May 4, 2020 The Texas Vendor Drug Program (VDP) has implemented several changes in response to COVID-19. This notice contains the latest updates, as well as links to the previously implemented changes. No-auto prior authorization (NAP) designation temporarily lifted: Normally, medications listed as NAP on the drug formulary by VDP require a manual hard stop in the system. Providers must call/fax to complete a prior authorization (PA) rather than allowing automated authorizations by reviewing historical pharmacy...

Provider Alert!

Provider Alert! VDP Formulary Updates – Update 3

Attention: All Providers and Pharmacies Effective Date: April 21, 2020 Call to action: VDP temporarily revised the preferred drug list to address reported possible drug shortages. A new claims processing edit has also been added to prevent overutilization of antimalarial drugs. Expanded NDCs: The non-preferred status of certain generic formulation NDCs were temporarily removed. The change allows pharmacies to dispense these drugs without requiring a non-preferred prior authorization, and provide continued access to necessary medication. The full list of NDCs can be found...

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Provider Alert! Issues with EpiPen, Epi-Pen Jrs, and related generic products

Attention: All Providers and Pharmacies Effective Date: April 21, 2020 Call to action: The FDA is alerting stakeholders that EpiPen 0.3mg and EpiPen Jr 0.15mg auto-injectors, and authorized generic versions, may potentially have delayed or inappropriate injecting. Reasons for failure include: Device failure from spontaneous activation caused by using sideways force to remove the blue safety release Device failure from inadvertent or spontaneous activation due to a raised blue safety release Difficulty removing the device from carrier tube User error may also delay or prevent the...

Provider Alert!

Provider Alert! Synagis (palivizumab) removed from Texas Medicaid formulary

Attention: All Providers and Pharmacies Effective Date: April 14, 2020 Call to action: The 2019-2020 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season ended April 14 for all counties in Texas. Synagis (palivizumab) has been removed from the Texas Medicaid formulary as of April 14. How this impacts providers: Synagis is unproven for prophylaxis outside of the RSV season. Providers wishing to prescribe Synagis during this time must submit a medical necessity request. Next steps for providers: Providers should continue to follow American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)...

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Provider Alert! Vaping and Smoking Cessation Benefits Reminder

Date: July 13, 2021 Attention: Primary Care Physicians and Pulmonologists Call to action: Providers are reminded that screening and information on smoking cessation should be included as part of any routine patient visit. Diagnosis code, U070 should be utilized for reporting vaping-related disorders as a benefit of Texas Medicaid. Procedure codes, 99406 and 99407 should be utilized for reporting a smoking and tobacco cessation counseling visit. How this impacts providers: Providers should educate susceptible patients presenting with respiratory symptoms or other related health...

Provider Alert! Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) webinar on small business relief

Attention: All Providers Effective: April 15, 2020 Providers should monitor the Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP) Provider Portal regularly for alerts and updates associated to the COVID-19 event.  TCHP reserves the right to update and/or change this information without prior notice due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 event. Call to action: TCHP would like to extend an invitation to our network providers to attend a webinar on COVID-19 small business relief on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 2:00PM CST. The Association...

April is National Autism Awareness Month

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Individuals with autism have difficulty interacting with others: building relationships, using language, regulating their emotions, and understanding others’ points of view. The reported prevalence of ASD has been higher in recent years, and this trend is consistent across data sources. Statistics: About 1 in 54 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder among a 2016 sample of 8 year olds from 11 US communities in...