"No-Shows"

Medical Assistance and Gray Zone consumers may be charged a reasonable fee for failure to keep an appointment without giving 24 hours notice so long as all consumers, including Medicaid, Self-Pay, Gray Zone and commercially insured, are charged this same fee under the same set of circumstances.

Institutes for Mental Disease – Reminder on Medicare /Medicaid Waiver Coverage for Adult Consumers Ages 22-64

MAPS-MD will not reimburse providers for consumers who fall into the following category:

• When an adult consumer's coverage is Medicare primary/Medicaid secondary and Medicare is exhausted and
• when the consumer has used 30 contiguous days or 60 non-contiguous days in the calendar year and
• when the consumer falls into the "Medicaid waiver" category.

Authorization Plans

There are certain mistakes that seem to occur frequently on authorization plans. The following tips may help providers fill out treatment plans accurately.

1. Please make sure the provider's MA # matches the name of the provider or facility listed on the authorization plan.
2. An Axis I or II diagnosis is needed on all authorization plans.
3. Please fill in the requested start date of the next authorization period on the authorization plan. This field is located in the bottom left on page 1 of the UTP, directly above the proposed treatment section. This field is located on page four of the IRP, directly below the requested services section.
4. Authorization plans are frequently returned to providers because MAPS-MD shows a possible duplication of services with another provider. If you receive this response from MAPS-MD, it is not necessary to call MAPS-MD to clarify. MAPS-MD is requesting that you check with the consumer, if you were not aware of any other provider involvement, to ensure that services are being coordinated. You may then resubmit the authorization plan with documentation indicating how the services are different.
5. If your request for further services has been non-authorized by an MAPS-MD physician advisor, it is not necessary to call to discuss this with a care manager. If you wish to appeal this decision, you may re-send your authorization plan with a cover letter requesting an appeal. It is helpful if additional information is added to the original authorization plan in order to help the physician in their decision making.
6. Please only send authorization plans by ONE method, either by fax or by mail. It is preferable to MAPS-MD that authorizations are mailed, as faxed authorization plans often do not transmit legibly.
7. Use the correct authorization plan for the service being requested. We will return your authorization plan if the entire plan is not received by MAPS-MD. Please check our website at www. MAPS-MD.com for a copy of current authorization plans.

MCCMAPS-MD Conference - October 30, 2000 at Sheppard Pratt Conference Center

The Maryland Council of Community Mental Health Programs (MCCMAPS-MD) is sponsoring a one day conference, "Maximizing OMHC Service Capacity", on Monday, October 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will take place at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center in Towson, Maryland. The program features David Lloyd, a nationally recognized service capacity expert and author, who will present strategies to effectively identify, minimize and / or eliminate service delivery barriers that prevent increased clinical and support staff productivity. Conference attendees will receive a package of clinical and administrative forms, practical productivity measures and scheduling methodologies to improve service capacity. For additional information call the MCCMAPS-MD at 410-828-9470.