Iowa School Based Medicaid: Maximizing Effectiveness Through Data Tracking

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Iowa School Based Medicaid

Learn Top Tips to Help You Get Out of the Weeds and Start Strategizing!

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, it’s crucial for Medicaid programs to stay on top of their game. Iowa’s School Based Medicaid Program is no exception. To ensure that your program operates smoothly and efficiently, you need to track various types of data. From financial reports to monitoring overall health, every piece of information is vital in managing the program effectively. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key types of data that should be tracked in Iowa and how you can start making this process a bit easier in your district. 

Managing and tracking these various types of data can be daunting, but gaining access to this data can be easy and improve your process significantly. Imagine not being buried in several spreadsheets. Here are some examples of key reports to maximize your Iowa School Based Medicaid Program and efficiency tips to help you save time and maximize the program in your school district.

Prescribed vs. Delivered Reports for Iowa School Based Medicaid

Tracking the services prescribed versus those actually delivered to students is vital for assessing the effectiveness of your program. This data helps you ensure that students are receiving the care they need and that resources are being used efficiently. Monitoring the number of minutes of services delivered compared to what was prescribed allows for targeted improvements in service delivery.

Efficiency Tip:  Make sure whatever reporting tool you utilize can be pulled up quickly and sort by your biggest risk areas in a few clicks vs needing to manipulate lots of data.  In this case, which students prescribed minutes far outweigh those being delivered? If you can get to reporting quickly and with less work, you will end up using the report more.
To ensure your school is not overbilling Medicaid, Relay offers a feature that stops any claims from being sent to billing if an IEP is missing and if the prescribed minutes in the billing are more than the prescribed minutes in the IEP. 


Medicaid Eligibility

Keeping track of and on top of Medicaid eligibility is critical to maintaining a healthy program at your district.  Many districts in Iowa keep this information outside of their Medicaid vendors system which limits the amount you can keep track and build reporting functionality around it.  Once Medicaid eligibility is uploaded into your Medicaid system, it allows you to do a lot of useful tasks like narrowing down where you should spend your efforts in tracking down parental consent or a Dx for students.  If you have this information in the system, you can then filter reporting by medicaid eligible students and create actionable lists to help speed up your process. 


Overall Health of Your Iowa School Based Medicaid Program

Assessing the overall health of your Medicaid program involves tracking and forecasting reimbursements. This data provides insights into the program’s financial stability and its ability to meet the needs of beneficiaries. By continuously monitoring and forecasting reimbursements, you can proactively address any financial challenges and ensure that the program remains sustainable. This will help you think more strategically about your School Based Medicaid program instead as this data will allow you to make decisions. 

Efficiency Tip: Ask your vendor to pull all of this data into a dashboard instead of across various reports and spreadsheets. Dashboards can offer comprehensive insights into the program’s financial health, allowing you to track and forecast reimbursements effectively.


Financial Reports in Iowa 

One of the fundamental aspects of managing an Iowa School Based Medicaid program is financial accountability. Without proper financial data, it’s impossible to assess the program’s performance, allocate resources effectively, and ensure compliance with regulations. Here are some essential financial reports that should be tracked:

a. Gross Total Amount: This report provides a clear picture of the program’s financial health on a state level. Tracking this data electronically is crucial for accuracy and efficiency.

b. Gross versus Net: Understanding the difference between gross and net amounts is essential for financial planning. It allows you to allocate resources wisely and make informed decisions. Net is the total amount remaining after FMAP is removed.

c. Reimbursement Breakdown by Service: Detailed reports on the amounts reimbursable by Medicaid are necessary for understanding your program’s revenue streams. This information helps you identify which services are most beneficial and where adjustments may be needed.

d. Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP): Knowing the FMAP for Iowa is critical to determine how much federal funding your program receives. Accurate FMAP data helps you plan your budget effectively.

Efficiency tip: Ideally, you want to see a dashboard that can generate detailed financial reports, ensuring accuracy and compliance with reporting requirements. These reports can include gross total amounts, gross vs. net breakdowns, reimbursement details, and FMAP calculations.


Conclusion

In the complex world of Iowa’s Medicaid Program, data is your greatest asset. By tracking financial reports, prescribed vs. delivered services, Medicaid eligibility, and the overall health of your program, you can ensure that resources are allocated wisely, beneficiaries receive the care they need, and compliance with regulations is maintained. With the help of your vendor’s dashboards, generating these reports becomes a seamless and efficient process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: providing quality healthcare to the children of Iowa.


Relay Makes Iowa School Based Medicaid Reporting Easy

Historically, Iowa Finance departments are required to provide certain reports to their supervisors and Department of Education. Often coordinators must create these reports manually, taking up large amounts of time in their day.   At Relay, we make these reports easy. Our system can automatically create reports in our analytics tools—including keeping track of expenses and reimbursements.  

Get in touch with an Iowa Medicaid Specialist Today –>