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A Look At The Numbers
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Healthcare for Kansans when they need it

A Look At The Numbers provides information on how private managed care organizations partner with Kansas to administer Medicaid benefits. Medicaid managed care enables Kansas to deliver higher quality care, improve health outcomes of Medicaid recipients, and manage healthcare costs. The care people need, when they need it. That is the model of managed care.

KanCare: Kansas' Medicaid program

KanCare plays a vital role serving those facing economic and social barriers to getting healthcare and improving the health and well-being of these Kansans. KanCare helps over 415,000 Kansans get the healthcare they otherwise would not be able to afford.1

Program history

Serving Kansas since 2013

Since the inception of KanCare, managed care organizations have been held to high standards by the state of Kansas and are accountable for the quality of care they administer in Kansas.

  • 2013

    KanCare begins2

  • 2013

    Bob Bethell KanCare Oversight Committee established3

  • 2013

    Kansas required all MCOs to obtain National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accreditation4

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Program population

Helping 415,000 Kansans

Private managed care organizations (MCOs) in Kansas oversee network management, claims payment, care coordination, and utilization management.

By managing these services, private MCOs have helped to increase the use of key services such as non-emergency medical transportation. This type of transportation has increased 60% since 2012, meaning that more patients are getting to their medical appointments.5

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3-in-10

children covered by KanCare6

Reduced costs

In 2018, preventive services saved Kansas

$5.8M 7

With the costs of healthcare rising, states need a way to plan and manage their budgets while ensuring that Medicaid recipients get the high-quality healthcare they deserve.

Through KanCare, private MCOs in Kansas have helped increase the use of several preventive services, including primary care, behavioral health, and dental services. Use of behavioral health services—such as counseling, addiction, and other services—has increased by 8%, while the use of dental services has increased 15% since KanCare began.8

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Improved population health

Increased use of primary care services

45% 9

Our healthcare system requires the innovation, expertise, and capital of the private sector. Private managed care organizations are uniquely positioned to combine these resources with public funding, accountability, and oversight.

Private MCOs integrate behavioral and physical health services to address the holistic needs of a person to ensure they are healthy. In 2018 alone, private MCOs provided $5.2M in value-added services, such as transportation services and weight-loss programs, that helped Kansans be healthier.7

Patient experience

Coordinated care for Kansans

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Private MCOs coordinate care and provide a single point of contact for Kansans, creating a better experience.

By coordinating care, private MCOs can help treat the whole person. Private managed care organizations serve as the glue that binds community resources with a unified health strategy, integrating physical and mental health services.

77.8% of adults in KanCare and 88.5% of parents responding for a child covered by KanCare would rate their health plan as an 8 or above on a 10-point scale.5

Provider experience

Under Medicaid managed care, private MCOs provide a cohesive service platform that helps to efficiently process payments and provide training.

Private MCOs use value-based payment models that incentivize, empower, and reward providers for the quality of care, not the quantity. The focus is on keeping individuals healthy and delivering better outcomes; over time, this improves overall population health and reduces the total cost of care.

Downloads

Citations

1 https://www.kancare.ks.gov/about-kancare/what-is-kancare
2 https://www.kancare.ks.gov/about-kancare/history-of-kancare
3 http://www.kslegresearch.org/KLRD-web/Publications/CommitteeReports/2018CommitteeReports/hcbs-cr.pdf
4 https://www.kancare.ks.gov/policies-and-reports/quality-measurement
5 https://www.kancare.ks.gov/docs/default-source/policies-and-reports/annual-and-quarterly-reports/annual/kancare-annual-report-to-cms—3-31-19.pdf
6 http://files.kff.org/attachment/fact-sheet-medicaid-state-KS
7 http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/committees/ctte_jt_robert_g_bob_bethell_joint_committee_1/documents/testimony/20190215_01.pdf
8 https://www.kslpa.org/audit-report-library/medicaid-evaluating-kancares-effect-on-the-states-medicaid-program/
9 https://www.kslpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/r-18-006.pdf

A Look At The Numbers is an educational resource about Medicaid managed care, hosted and supported by Medicaid Health Plans of America, in collaboration with other Medicaid managed care organizations and state health plan associations.