NASHVILLE – The TennCare Standard Spend Down program is opening enrollment for the first time to new applicants beginning Monday, October 4, 2010. Standard Spend Down is available through a waiver to the Medicaid program for a limited number of low income individuals, or those with high, unpaid medical bills who are aged, blind, disabled, or the caretaker relative of a Medicaid eligible child. Eligible individuals must have enough unpaid medical bills to meet the “spend down” threshold to qualify for and keep their coverage.

NASHVILLE — A new report shows continued improvement in the overall quality of health care provided to TennCare members through their managed care organizations.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville today released the findings from its study, “The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients 2010.” The results show TennCare continues to earn high marks from those who receive its services – with enrollees reporting the highest satisfaction scores to date.

NASHVILLE — TennCare officials announced today the launch of the TennCare CHOICES in Long-Term Care program in East and West Tennessee, completing the statewide restructuring of long-term care service delivery within TennCare. The CHOICES program offers more home-based options for meeting the long-term care needs of the state’s elderly and adults with physical disabilities, reducing reliance on more costly nursing facility care. It also offers a simpler process for accessing these more economical services.

NASHVILLE — State officials announced today that Delta Dental was awarded the contract to serve as TennCare’s dental benefits manager (DBM). The new contract will save the state an estimated $3.5 million in administrative costs over the three-year contract period.

NASHVILLE - TennCare announced today that federal officials have approved Tennessee’s proposal to draw federal matching dollars in association with a new hospital assessment fee. As a result, TennCare will avoid benefit changes for enrollees and reductions in provider reimbursement rates that would have otherwise been required this year. The assessment fee was approved by the General Assembly in May.

NASHVILLE – TennCare Director and Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Darin Gordon, was selected to participate as a Fellow in the 2011 class of the Medicaid Leadership Institute, a national initiative managed by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). Gordon is one of six Medicaid directors chosen to be part of this initiative designed to enhance the leadership capacity of Medicaid directors to help their programs serve as national models for high-quality, cost-effective care.

NASHVILLE – An incorrect electronic file submission sent to TennCare’s system caused information for some enrollees to be sent to incorrect addresses statewide. Approximately 3,900 enrollees were affected when letters and cards that contained one or more pieces of personal information were sent to incorrect addresses. The error was the result of a modification to the system that pulls addresses into an electronic file for TennCare. An error caused by the system modification corrupted the file.

NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations (TAMHO) recently presented TennCare staff with the President’s Award, which is given at the discretion of the TAMHO President, during the TAMHO 2009 Annual Awards and Recognition Ceremony in Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE — The Bureau of TennCare today announced the results of the 2009 HEDIS/CAHPS Report: A Comparative Analysis of Audited Results from TennCare Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). The report shows that TennCare’s Middle Tennessee MCOs performed above – and in many cases significantly exceeded – the 2008 national Medicaid average for measures related to behavioral health as well as drug and alcohol dependence treatment.

NASHVILLE — The Bureau of TennCare announced today that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) will take over behavioral health care for enrollees receiving services through TennCare Select. This transition to using a single managed care entity to provide all of the care an enrollee needs, including physical and behavioral health coverage, marks TennCare’s completion of the shift to a fully-integrated service delivery model.

KNOXVILLE – The Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville today released the findings from its study, “The Impact of TennCare: A Survey of Recipients 2009.” The results show TennCare continues to earn high marks from those who receive its services – with enrollees reporting quality ratings that are the highest since the program’s inception in 1994.

NASHVILLE - TennCare announced today federal officials have approved changes to Tennessee’s long-term care program, which brings the state one step closer to total implementation of the Long Term Care Community Choices Act of 2008. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved an amendment to the TennCare waiver that will allow managed care organizations to coordinate all of the care a TennCare member needs, which will now include medical, behavioral and long-term care.

NASHVILLE – The State of Tennessee today received relief from U.S. District Court, resolving a long-standing court order that will help minimize planned budget cuts in TennCare’s effort to meet its budget reductions for next year. The court granted the state permission to check the eligibility of 150,000 TennCare members, some of whom may no longer be eligible for the program. They are all members of a class of enrollees subject to a 21-year old court order known as Daniels.

NASHVILLE - Facing mounting revenue shortfalls, the State of Tennessee today provided updated information to the U.S. District Court in Nashville concerning potential budget cuts that TennCare faces as a result of the deepening economic recession. The state is seeking relief from a long-running lawsuit known as Daniels that, if granted, could minimize the planned cuts that are needed to help balance the state’s budget.