Affordable Care Act (ACA) Requirements

To become compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) announced in BT201151, dated October 18, 2011, significant changes to provider enrollment policies and procedures effective January 1, 2012.

Provider Revalidation

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) is required to revalidate all provider enrollments, applying ACA criteria.

Providers will receive notification letters with instructions for revalidating 90 and 60 days before their revalidation deadline. Providers should not take any steps to revalidate until they receive their notification letters. Providers that fail to submit revalidation paperwork in a timely manner will be deactivated from participation in the IHCP as of the deadline date.

Revalidation of enrollment will occur on a regular schedule. Under the ACA, states are required to revalidate providers at intervals not to exceed every five years. A more frequent three-year revalidation requirement applies to durable medical equipment (DME) and home medical equipment (HME) providers, including pharmacy providers with DME or HME specialty enrollments. Providers will be notified every three or five years when it is time to revalidate their IHCP enrollments.

For more information, see bulletin BT201210.

Note: Revalidation of enrollment is not the same as recertification of enrollment credentials. See the Recertify Provider Enrollment Licenses and Other Certifications web page for details about the recertification process.

Application Fee

Certain providers are subject to an application fee. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets the application fee amount, which may be adjusted annually. The application fee amount for 2012 is set at $523. The fee is assessed in full for each service location at initial enrollment, enrollment revalidation, and if a provider changes ownership. If a provider pays an application fee to Medicare or to another state Medicaid agency for a service location, the provider is not required to pay an additional application fee for that location to the IHCP. The application fee applies to "institutional" providers, as defined by CMS. Generally, application fees do not apply to individual professionals, such as physicians. The Provider Type Application Fee and Risk Assignment Matrix (for Non-Waiver and Waiver providers) provides a full list of provider types, and indicates which are subject to the application fee.

Payment Options

The application fee can be paid in the following ways:

  • By check or money order - Submit a check or money order with your IHCP Provider Packet.
  • By Phone - Contact HP Customer Assistance at (317) 655-3240 in the Indianapolis local area or toll-free at 1-800-577-1278 and select the appropriate option. Please have your credit card, debit card, or checking account information ready. When the transaction is complete, you will be given a confirmation number to enter in the appropriate section of your IHCP Provider Packet.
  • Online - Go to the IHCP Bill Pay site and follow the on-screen instructions. You can pay online using a credit card, debit card, or electronic funds transfer from your checking account. When the transaction is complete, you will be given a confirmation number to enter in the appropriate section of your IHCP Provider Packet.
  • The fee payment is made payable to Indiana Health Coverage Programs
  • Providers can download HP's Federal W-9 form from this website for reporting payments on the provider's tax forms.

In rare instances the CMS may agree to waive the application fee based on proof it presents a financial hardship for a provider. Providers requesting a waiver of the fee must submit a letter  with their enrollment packet. The letter must make a compelling case for the request including a description of the ways in which the provider attempted to raise the funds. The final decision to waive the fee is made by the CMS.

Provider Risk Levels

Providers are categorized by risk level - high, moderate, or limited. This determination is made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), based on an assessment of potential for fraud, waste, and abuse for each provider type. The Provider Type Application Fee and Risk Assignment Matrix (for Non-Waiver and Waiver providers) provides a full list of provider types and their CMS-assigned risk level, both for enrollment and revalidation. Please note that the risk level assignment may be increased at any time at the discretion of the State. In these instances, the provider will be notified by the State, and the new risk level will apply to processing enrollment-related transactions.

Enrolling and revalidating providers will be screened according to their assigned risk level. The following table outlines the general screening activities required for each risk category.

Risk Level
Screening Activities
High
  • Fingerprinting and criminal background check for all individuals with ownership in the entity of 5% or more (implementation pending)
  • Unannounced site visits before and after enrollment/revalidation
  • Verification of provider-specific requirements, including but not limited to the following:
    • License verification
    • National Provider Identifier (NPI) check
    • Office of the Inspector General (OIG) exclusion check
    • Ownership/controlling interest information verification
Moderate
  • Unannounced site visits before and after enrollment/revalidation
  • Verification of provider-specific requirements, including but not limited to the following:
    • License verification
    • NPI check
    • OIG exclusion check
    • Ownership/controlling interest information verification
Limited
  • Verification of provider-specific requirements, including but not limited to the following:
    • License verification
    • NPI check
    • OIG exclusion check
    • Ownership/controlling interest information verification

 

Fingerprinting and Criminal Background Check

Implementation Pending