§ 1903a - Chronic care management program
§ 1903a. Chronic care management program
(a) The secretary of administration or designee shall create a chronic care management program as provided for in this section, which shall be administered or provided by a private entity for individuals with one or more chronic conditions who are enrolled in Medicaid, the Vermont health access plan (VHAP), or Dr. Dynasaur. The program shall not include individuals who are also eligible for Medicare, who are enrolled in the Choices for Care Medicaid Section 1115 waiver or who are in an institute for mental disease as defined in 42 C.F.R. § 435.1009. The secretary may also exclude individuals who are eligible for or participating in the Medicaid care coordination program established through the office of Vermont health access.
(b) The secretary shall include a broad range of chronic conditions in the chronic care management program.
(c) The chronic care management program shall be designed to include:
(1) a method involving the health care professional in identifying eligible patients, including the use of the chronic care information system established in section 702 of Title 18, an enrollment process which provides incentives and strategies for maximum patient participation, and a standard statewide health risk assessment for each individual;
(2) the process for coordinating care among health care professionals;
(3) the methods of increasing communications among health care professionals and patients, including patient education, self-management, and follow-up plans;
(4) the educational, wellness, and clinical management protocols and tools used by the care management organization, including management guideline materials for health care professionals to assist in patient-specific recommendations;
(5) process and outcome measures to provide performance feedback for health care professionals and information on the quality of care, including patient satisfaction and health status outcomes;
(6) payment methodologies to align reimbursements and create financial incentives and rewards for health care professionals to establish management systems for chronic conditions, to improve health outcomes, and to improve the quality of care, including case management fees, pay for performance, payment for technical support and data entry associated with patient registries, the cost of staff coordination within a medical practice, and any reduction in a health care professional's productivity;
(7) payment to the care management organization which would put all or a portion of the care management organization's fee at risk if the management is not successful in reducing costs to the state;
(8) a requirement that the data on enrollees be shared, to the extent allowable under federal law, with the secretary in order to inform the health care reform initiatives under section 2222a of Title 3;
(9) a method for the care management organization to participate closely in the blueprint for health and other health care reform initiatives; and
(10) participation in the pharmacy best practices and cost-control program under subchapter 5 of chapter 19 of this title, including the multi-state purchasing pool and the statewide preferred drug list.
(d) The secretary shall issue a request for proposals for the program established under this section and shall review the request for proposals with the commission on health care reform prior to issuance. The issuance of the request for proposals is conditioned on the approval of the commission in order to ensure that the request meets the intent of this section, section 702 of Title 18, and chapter 19 of this title. Any contract under this section may allow the entity to subcontract some services to other entities if it is cost-effective, efficient, or in the best interest of the individuals enrolled in the program.
(e) The secretary shall ensure that the chronic care management program is modified over time to comply with the Vermont blueprint for health strategic plan and to the extent feasible, collaborate in its initiatives.
(f) The terms used in this section shall have the meanings defined in section 701 of Title 18. (Added 2005, No. 191 (Adj. Sess.), § 6; amended 2007, No. 70, §§ 22, 23.)