Rhode Island Continuity of Care Project: Ensuring Access to Pre-Release Medicaid Services, Creating Capacity for Correctional Provider Reimbursement, and Maximizing Seamless Post-Incarceration Access - The Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) seeks support under the State Planning Grants to Promote Continuity of Care for Medicaid and CHIP Beneficiaries Following Incarceration. EOHHS expects to issue subawards to the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) to support RIDOC data system integration and billing work, as well as new telehealth capacity and to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to support a new interface with the state’s Health Information Exchange. Rhode Island’s goals under this opportunity are to: 1) Ensure that incarcerated Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries receive all pre-release services eligible for Medicaid coverage, 2) Create capacity to reimburse providers for these services, and 3) Maximize the degree to which individuals re-entering the community following incarceration can seamlessly access both Medicaid-covered services and other community-based supports. Rhode Island proposes to leverage community engagement, new correctional facility access to telehealth services, enhancements to bi-directional data-sharing, and new Medicaid billing capacity to accomplish these goals. EOHHS is requesting $4,322,370 over the four-year grant period. To achieve the state’s goals, EOHHS will: 1. Convene a Community Advisory Group and host at least four (4) meetings per year, so that EOHHS, RIDOC, and DCYF have regular open dialogue with community stakeholders, ensuring that state operational and policy decisions are informed by those most affected by these decisions. 2. Open access to telehealth booths at each facility operated by RIDOC, so that beneficiaries at RIDOC have increased access to services, including but not limited to Medicaid pre-release services. 3. Enhance integration among RIDOC’s data systems and between RIDOC’s primary data system and the EOHHS Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), so that RIDOC and EOHHS each have accurate data regarding the identity and status of incarcerated Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries, and RIDOC has information regarding inmate eligibility for Section 5121 services. 4. Enhance RI Bridges (the state’s integrated eligibility system) and MMIS to ensure the systems’ capacity to make timely redeterminations and make accurate payment for pre-release services. EOHHS will also develop RIDOC capacity to bill Medicaid for these services. 5. Establish interfaces between the state’s Health Information Exchange, CurrentCare, and the electronic health record systems used by RIDOC and DCYF. 6. Establish a daily data feed between MMIS and the DCYF Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System, so that DCYF and EOHHS each have accurate data regarding the identity and status of Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries incarcerated in the state’s youth correctional facility, operated by DCYF.
