By: Peyton Stephens, MS, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, TSHA State Advocate for Reimbursement (STAR), ASHA Medicaid Committee Chair
STAR Updates
The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association (TSHA) is conducting a survey of speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and administrators across Texas to understand the challenges you’re facing and resources you need, specifically with billing and/or insurance companies. Regardless of your practice setting, we want to hear from you and encourage you to share your experience in this short survey, which will take about 10 minutes to complete. Your feedback is important. Similar data has been utilized in other states with the support of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to advocate for adequate reimbursement for services being provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. Questions will collect data on network adequacy as well as current road blocks in insurance coding and billing. Participating in this type of data collection is contributes to the advocacy efforts in our fields.
If you are not directly involved in billing and reimbursement but have access to a billing coordinator, you can work with them to complete the section related to billing and reimbursement. Have questions? Contact us at staff@txsha.org.
Complete the survey.
Medicaid Updates
Texas Medicaid recently underwent an open request for proposal (RFP) process for Medicaid STAR and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) contracts that was slated to take effect in 2025. The process resulted in reduction in the number of managed care organizations that administer the state’s Medicaid STAR program and CHIP. This would affect 1.8 million Texans who receive coverage from the plans that would no longer be awarded a contract, including Driscoll, Cook Children’s and Texas Children’s Health Plans. Affected beneficiaries would need to select a new health plan at the start of the new contract term. At this time, multiple health plans are expected to appeal/protest the results of the contracting process. Future decisions will come from Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Cecile E. Young.
Want to learn more about the STAR role? Take a look at this past article written about the role by our past TSHA STAR Caitlin Perryman.
Have more questions? Contact us at staff@txsha.org.