If you remember the heyday of HHSC/TMHP/Xerox program spending on orthodontia back in 2011 that begat allegations of Medicaid fraud, it was at a sky-high $249 million. In 2015, it was $13.6 million. So it is little wonder that the number … Read More
In case you might be wondering how much Texas now spends on dental care for Medicaid children, we now have an answer for you. TDMR filed an open record request earlier this year to get the spending figures for 2014 and … Read More
Over the past two weeks, it has been a major story that Attorney General Ken Paxton took a $100,000 donation for his personal legal fees from a friend whose company was accused of Medicaid fraud. The company just settled the … Read More
reported this morning on a new contracting scandal involving current Medicaid claims administrator Accenture and the Office of Attorney General. Outrage of use of “emergency leave” for fired staff You might remember back in May, the OAG was found to … Read More
Back in July 2013, TDMR surveyed Medicaid dentists about their opinions and problems with Medicaid at that time. 139 providers answered up and “provider rights” was the most popular response for the challenges Medicaid providers were facing then. Things have … Read More
Texas delegation sponsors also got convention guest passes and access to the “morning briefing receptions with members of Texas’ congressional delegation, statewide elected officials and legislators.” The sponsors are Toyota, Charter Communications, MCNA Dental, GM, AT&T, Expedia, Phillips 66, IBC … Read More
Many Americans lack access to basic, affordable oral health care. Tooth decay is the most preventable unmet health need in the United States, yet one-quarter of children have tooth decay before they enter kindergarten and one-third of adults report having … Read More
Dr. Juan D. Villarreal of Harlingen Family Dentistry and founder of Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform has completed the writing of a book about his personal experience with Texas Medicaid and its attempt to falsely accuse Texas dentists of healthcare … Read More
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday delivered a temporary, last-minute victory to families of children with disabilities who want to stop sweeping budget cuts to a state-funded children’s therapy program. State lawmakers last year approved $350 million in budget cuts … Read More
In a last-ditch effort to stave off $350 million in cuts to a state Medicaid program that provides therapy to disabled children, federal and state lawmakers are asking the federal government to intervene.Families that have sued the state to stop … Read More
HHSC’s Inspector General is enlisting the help of managed care organizations and health care providers to fight Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse in a cooperative effort. The office’s Integrity Initiative creates a framework for managed care organizations, health care providers … Read More
Heather Griffith Peterson and Kara Crawford have joined the HHS executive leadership team. They both began June 1. “We are putting together a strong leadership team that will continue to move the Texas Health and Human Services system forward,” Health … Read More
Back on May 19, Sen. Chuy Hinojosa and Rep. Richard Peña Raymond hosted a town hall meeting for providers on Medicaid managed care in Edinburg at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. It has taken a while but here are … Read More
On Thursday, June 23, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission held its mandated public hearings on state agencies under review this legislative session. Four hours of testimony Over the 12 hours of testimony were given before the Commission on that date … Read More
Recently, TDMR filed an open records request with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to find out how many individual Texas dentists are currently participating in Medicaid and how those participation numbers have changed since the Frew settlement in … Read More
Although they are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to abuse drugs compared with prior years, children are worse off in Texas than their peers in all but seven states, a study says. According to its … Read More
Like many parents of children with autism, Braulio De La Cruz sought an expensive therapy called applied behavioral analysis — or ABA – when his son Noah Leonardo was diagnosed last year. Noah, now 3 years old, qualifies for Medicaid … Read More
AUSTIN – Gary Jessee will lead the newly created Medical and Social Services division of the Health and Human Services system, HHS Executive Commissioner Charles Smith announced today. Jessee, who is currently the state Medicaid director, will become deputy executive … Read More
McAllen dentist Dr. Jose “Joey” Cazares has been elected by members of the Texas Dental Association’s House of Delegates to be the 2016-2017 President-Elect of the Association, and will automatically ascend to the Presidency in 2017-2018. Dr. Cazares will be … Read More
“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver made television history when he paid off nearly $15 million of debt from Texas on last night’s show. For 20 minutes, Oliver focused on the systems behind debt collecting and the corruption surrounding them. The episode explained … Read More
AUSTIN — The Texas Medicaid program, under pressure from lawmakers, is again proposing significant cuts in pay for therapists who treat more than a quarter-million disabled children and elderly Texans. On Friday, the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice … Read More
Americans who live in the two biggest states that haven’t expanded Medicaid have more complaints about health care costs and quality, according to a new survey released by the Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute in Houston. They’d also like … Read More
Bolstered by the federal health care law, the number of lower-income kids getting health coverage continues to rise. During 2014, the first full year of the law’s implementation, 91 percent of children who were eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s … Read More
Charles Smith, a longtime ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, will be the next executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the governor announced Tuesday. Smith, the chief deputy executive commissioner at the massive agency, will start his … Read More
The Obama administration has agreed to temporarily keep some federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients, a relief to health care providers that feared losing the funds over state leaders’ refusal to provide health insurance … Read More
For three months, Courissa Hall essentially lived in a Houston rehabilitation hospital providing care for her 4-year-old daughter, who suffered brain damage during a routine appointment at a local dental clinic that specialized in treating Medicaid patients. She’s still processing … Read More
Earlier this week, TDMR received an email from a mother who had her sons under Medicaid orthodontic treatment back in 2011 and 2012 and is still very upset at the both the state handling of the matter and the lack … Read More
Medicaid in Texas and the federal government that continues to expand it are just as voracious and as difficult to pay for as they have ever been.Medicaid expansion ran loose in Texas last week.Somebody had to say it. You certainly … Read More
Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General Stuart Bowen Jr. announced in his quarterly report a new initiative to help combat Medicaid fraud and also help Medicaid providers. This is the IG Integrity Initiative. It was formally rolled out on … Read More
AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton is still paying a former top staffer more than a month after she left the agency, and aides refuse to answer questions about a special payment arrangement for her and Paxton’s former deputy amid … Read More
AUSTIN — Chris Traylor will retire as head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission at the end of next month, legislative officials with knowledge of his decision said late Thursday. Traylor, who canceled retirement plans last spring to … Read More
This morning Health and Human Services Commission Inspector General Stuart Bowen Jr. issued his latest quarterly report on OIG activities and results. Bowen has ushered in a new era of transparency and accountability for the agency and these reports provide … Read More
A Texas appeals court delivered a big loss on Thursday to a group of home health agencies and parents of children with disabilities who sued the state over payment cuts to in-home therapy providers. The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals ruled … Read More
Any effort to reform Medicaid financing should take into account evidence that the program already has low payment rates and low spending growth, meaning further reductions could hurt beneficiaries’ access to care, according to an issue brief from the Kaiser … Read More
State health officials confirmed Tuesday they have asked the Obama administration to keep a 15-month lifeline of federal Medicaid money flowing into Texas to help hospitals treat uninsured patients. That money would offer temporary relief to health care providers who face losing the funds — … Read More
Texas Health and Human Services Commission officials say they have no choice but to carry out the will of lawmakers and cut $350 million from the state’s Medicaid program.In September, state District Judge Tim Sulak temporarily blocked implementation of the … Read More
Hefty cuts to a state Medicaid program that pays for poor and disabled Texans to receive in-home therapy won’t endanger patient lives or destroy livelihoods, a state district judge was told Tuesday. Coming from a major health insurer that covers … Read More
When Brianna Dupuie was a year old, a babysitter shook her so hard she had a stroke that paralyzed her right side. Everything Brianna had learned to do — how to walk, crawl and speak — was erased.In the seven … Read More
Here’s an unusual story out of Texas which seems to defy all the conventional wisdom about employment trends and wages. The local press has noticed that nursing homes are having trouble filling the health care jobs at their facilities these … Read More
Today the Sixth Court of Appeals issued their decision in the Medicaid payment hold case of Antoine Dental Center of Houston. The court again exonerated the practice from allegations of Medicaid fraud, again terminated the payment hold and, for the … Read More
