In a letter dated June 29, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) President Anna McMaster, MD, asked Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran to direct managed care organizations to increase payments to physicians who see Medicaid patients.
The letter states, in part, “Plummeting utilization rates of health care services because of the pandemic paired with expanded Medicaid eligibility due to the accompanying increase in job losses have introduced significant uncertainty for the physicians who treat Medicaid patients.
The letter goes on to say, “A recent study of primary care practices paints a dire picture of the financial situation facing primary care practices – over half of physician respondents simply desire ‘payment of any kind.’ The same survey found half of all practices supportive of consistent payments to ensure practice viability and sustainability. To that end, it is critical that Ohio Medicaid take action to increase provider payments to fully support physicians looking to provide quality care to their Medicaid patients.”
Furthermore, the letter calls on the Ohio Department of Medicaid to adopt existing authority to increase managed care capitation rates to match increased fee-for-service provider payments.