Arkansas awarded $42 million Medicaid grant
by February 21, 2013 2:17 pm 92 views
Arkansas has been awarded a $42 million State State Innovation Model grant by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist with its Payment Improvement Initiative efforts.
The state Department of Human Services announced that Arkansas and five other states were award grant funding.
The grant money will help Medicaid support providers as they transition to the new payment model. It also will help cover costs required to implement the new payment model, along with technical analysis, infrastructure and contractors.
“Patients, doctors and other providers know the system has not been working well. The approach we are taking helps support doctors and hospitals to deliver the care patients expect. We have early indications that many providers are engaging to help make these changes happen,” said Arkansas Surgeon General Joe Thompson. “This grant will allow us to build on that momentum as we move the initiative forward.”
“The award signifies that the federal government believes in what we are doing, thinks it could be a model for other states and is willing to provide financial support to ensure the initiative’s continued success,” DHS Director John Selig said.