Health Beat: HP Signs $190M Deal To Implement Arkansas’ Medicaid Information System

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HP SIGNS $190 MILLION DEAL TO IMPLEMENT ARKANSAS’ MEDICAID INFORMATION SYSTEM
HP Enterprise Services, a division of Tech giant Hewlett-Packard Co., recently announced that it signed a $190 million deal with the state Department of Human Services to implement Arkansas’ Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and continue as the state’s Medicaid fiscal agent.

The seven-year contract includes one base year with six one-year options and extends HP’s nearly 30-year relationship in supporting the state of Arkansas. HP will also continue to manage the state’s legacy system until the state’s new interChange Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) goes live.

“Arkansas has been at the forefront of regulatory changes and healthcare reform with our payment improvement initiatives and the expansion of healthcare to previously uninsured citizens,” said Arkansas Medicaid Director Dawn Stehle. “As our long-term partner, HP will use its nearly three decades of Arkansas Medicaid experience to ensure we continue to meet the challenges in the new world of healthcare – all while keeping focus on delivering quality services to the providers and citizens of our state.”

HP is the nation’s largest provider of Medicaid and Medicare process management services, administering $140 billion in benefits a year, the company said. It serves as the fiscal agent or principal IT provider for Medicaid in 19 states.

NATIONAL BUSINESS GROUP STARTS ‘SHARK TANK-LIKE’ INITIATIVE FOR HEALTHCARE STARTUPS
The National Business Group on Health (NBGH), a non-profit association of more than 400 large U.S. employers, announced on Tuesday what it called a ‘Shark Tank-like’ initiative designed to help accelerate the adoption of effective health care technologies and solutions by large employers.

“Even with health care reform fully underway, there is a need for innovative and disruptive solutions to transform the delivery system and improve the health of employees,” said Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health.

Startup companies can apply to participate in the program, Health Innovations Forum, through an online application process.

After being assessed for their applicability and value proposition in the large employer market, startups with the most compelling value proposition will be selected to present their solution to the Forum’s Health Innovations Board, a group of 13 human resource executives from NBGH member companies, including many of the world’s largest employers.

Based on the startup’s presentation, and the board’s assessment of the solution, the startup may be given the opportunity to present to the Forum’s larger Employer Council.

For more information about the Health Innovations Forum, including how to submit an application, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org/forum, or contact [email protected].

HHS UPDATES FLUORIDE LEVEL RULES; DOESN’T AFFECT ARKANSAS LAW
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday released its final Public Health Service (PHS) recommendation for the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay. The new recommendation is for a single level of 0.7 parts per million of fluoride per liter of water. It updates and replaces the previous recommended range (0.7 to 1.2 parts per million) issued in 1962.

The change was recommended because Americans now have access to more sources of fluoride, such as toothpaste and mouth rinses, than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the United States.

“While additional sources of fluoride are more widely used than they were in 1962, the need for community water fluoridation still continues,” said U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Boris D. Lushniak. “Community water fluoridation continues to reduce tooth decay in children and adults beyond that provided by using only toothpaste and other fluoride-containing products.”

The practice of adding fluoride to a community’s water system to reach the optimal level for preventing tooth decay has grown steadily over the past 70 years. Nearly 75% of Americans who are served by public water systems receive fluoridated water.

During the recent legislative session, the House approved a bill that would have allowed water suppliers around the state to opt out of a state law passed in 2011 requiring 2.5 parts per million of fluoride. Sponsor Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, said the bill was a matter of local control. Officials with the Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Children’s Hospital opposed the bill, citing healthcare costs. The bill failed to get enough votes in the Senate.

FLORIDA SUES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER OBAMACARE
Florida Governor Rick Scott sued the Obama administration on Tuesday, challenging the federal government’s decision not to extend a $1 billion healthcare funding program for low-income patients, according to Reuters.

The state argued that federal healthcare officials cut the funding as a way to coerce Florida into dropping its refusal to expand Obamacare for the working poor in Florida. Florida’s Republican leaders and the Democratic Obama administration are deeply split over $51 billion available over 10 years to expand Medicaid coverage to some 1 million Floridians under the Affordable Care Act, the formal name for Obamacare.