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   SRHS and Memorial Hospital file second lawsuit against MS Division of Medicaid   
      
    Tyler Carter | tcarter@al.com By Tyler Carter | tcarter@al.com    
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   on August 03, 2016 at 1:55 PM, updated August 03, 2016 at 1:57 PM   
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   Warren Kulo | wkulo@al.com   
       
   GULFPORT, Miss. – Singing River Health System and Memorial Hospital have   
   filed a second suit against the Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) citing   
   their health systems were shorted millions of dollars in the 2014 fiscal year.   
      
   Days after the suit was filed against the DOM, the state notified both health   
   systems of their request to pursue litigation was denied.   
      
   Both health systems assert the payment formula used to reimburse community   
   hospitals for care provided to the uninsured and Medicaid beneficiaries has a   
   payment methodology contrary to state law and are seeking the recovery of the   
   underpayments and legal    
   fees.   
      
   SRHS reports total underpayments of $21 million since the Division began   
   underpaying for services provided to Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured.   
   Memorial reported that underpayments have totaled $25 million.   
      
   "With recent actions taken by the Division of Medicaid to deny payments,   
   coupled with a recently announced plan to phase in any further payment   
   adjustments over a 10-year period, important services are now at risk,"   
   according to Gary G. Marchand,    
   President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hospital. "For Memorial, the   
   key services are mental health and access to primary care for the uninsured."   
      
   According to a prior release from Memorial, an appeal for underpayments from   
   the 2015 fiscal year has yet to receive a response. Hospital officials stated   
   the reaction to this lawsuit can clear up underpayments for assistance   
   provided to Medicaid    
   beneficiaries and uninsured patients from fiscal years 2014 and 2015.   
      
   "It is critical that hospitals such as Singing River and Memorial are   
   appropriately funded for the level of uninsured and underinsured services that   
   we provide to our communities," according to Kevin Holland, Chief Executive   
   Officer for SRHS. "We are    
   optimistic that our challenges to the current funding methodology will help   
   redistribute these statewide funds to the places that are delivering the   
   highest levels of uninsured and underinsured care in our state."    
      
      
   http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2016/08/srhs_and   
   memorial_hospital_fil.html   
      
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