KVH Statement re: Medicaid Managed Care Contracts
Jul 7th, 2011
Kentucky Voices for Health is committed to ensuring that patient access to high quality care remains a top priority in the Kentucky Medicaid program. We look forward to working with the Kentucky Medicaid program and the managed care organizations (MCOs) now under state contract. Open dialogue with Kentucky's health advocacy community is imperative as significant changes affect how over 800,000 Kentuckians will receive their health care.
As outlined in our core principles[i] which were delivered to the Governor and his Administration, Kentucky Voices for Health believes it is critical that all patients, regardless of their location, have access to the same high quality care. As Kentucky moves to a Medicaid managed care system, basic guiding principles must be upheld: quality and access must not be sacrificed to create savings, the ability of providers to treat their patients should not be compromised, and where people live should not determine what care is available to them. Improving efficiencies should not mean reducing quality patient care. The MCOs serving the health care needs of Kentuckians in the Medicaid program should follow a comprehensive standard of care that focuses on prevention and comprehensive services, eliminates disparities, protects the patient-provider relationship and eliminates wasteful spending while improving efficiency.
We must all understand that the healthcare landscape is changing and all of us as consumers of services need to be more engaged and better educated than ever before. In the new Medicaid managed care system, the enrollment and patient/family education processes must be a priority. Properly educating patients on how to navigate the new system and how to use services such as prevention will lead to a higher quality of care, better outcomes and healthier Kentuckians.
We urge the Kentucky Medicaid program and the contracting MCOs to ensure that patient and provider education be a primary focus as new approaches to care are rolled out across the Commonwealth. Kentucky health statistics are daunting and there is a tremendous opportunity to improve access, quality and efficient delivery of health care to build a healthier Kentucky. However, these strides must be made with integrated patient care and consumer engagement at the forefront.
