History of KanCare

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Historical Background

In January 2011, Governor Sam Brownback charged Lt. Governor Jeff Colyer, MD, and a working group of cabinet members with the task of fundamentally reforming Medicaid to improve outcomes and establish financial sustainability in the face of mounting uncertainty. The State of Kansas faced major challenges in its Medicaid program that require swift and effective policy changes to continue serving vulnerable Kansans.

Lt. Governor Colyer and the Working Group reached out to thousands of Kansans to help in the effort to reinvent Medicaid. The Administration sought public input through an open process that included a Request for Information, public forums in each congressional district, a web survey, stakeholder workgroups and countless individual meetings with consumers, advocates, and providers. (See Deloitte Summary Report.)

The vision statement outlined at the beginning of the process remains and was confirmed by the participation of Kansans from every corner of the state: To serve Kansans in need with a transformed, fiscally sustainable Medicaid program that provides high-quality, holistic care and promotes personal responsibility.

The documents and web pages linked below are made available for those who are interested in following the State of Kansas through its Medicaid Reform process.

Timeline

2010

Kansas Medicaid, along with KU Medical Center, studied health outcomes of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and persons with physical disabilities
June - Health Promotion for Kansans with Disabilities: Kansas Medicaid Transformation Grant Final Report1 published.
October - Kansas Medicaid issued a Request for Information, asking for specific projects, technologies, or approaches that could be implemented through contracts to reduce the future costs of health care.

2011

January - Lt. Gov. Colyer issues Request for Information to begin the Administration’s formal process of gathering ideas and suggestions on Medicaid reform * Governor Brownback and Lt. Gov. Colyer begin meeting with stakeholders, e.g. Kansas Medical Society and Kansas Hospital Association, to discuss the need for Medicaid reform to improve health outcomes and lower cost
January - Kansas Medicaid publishes its summary of responses from the Oct. 2010 RFI and continues its call for suggestions/ideas on Medicaid reform through open dialogue with consumers, advocates and providers
March - Funded by a grant from five Kansas health foundations, Deloitte Consulting, LLP coordinates a Public Input and Stakeholder Consultation process to gather and summarize ideas about how to reform the Medicaid program
April - Announced the Mission Statement: To serve Kansans in need with a transformed, fiscally sustainable Medicaid program that provides high-quality, holistic care and promotes personal responsibility
April - State awarded $125,000 grant from Kansas Grantmakers in Health, a consortium of private health foundations including the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas Health Foundation, the REACH Healthcare Foundation, the Sunflower Foundation, and United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
June 22 - Public Forum in Topeka – 500 attendees
July 7 - Public Forum in Wichita – 400 attendees
July 8 - Public Forum in Dodge City – 250 attendees
July 11 - August 19 - To further engage the public and offer an alternative for those unable to participate in the Public Forums, a web-based survey was developed and posted on the State’s website
August 9 & 11 - Three Stakeholder Workgroup Sessions – Webinars/conference calls focused on the specific population groups served by the Medicaid program.
August 17 - Public Forum in Overland Park – 300 stakeholder participants
September - Deloitte submitted to the Administration its report2 on the public input and stakeholder consult process, including the major themes identified by Kansans: Whole-Person Care, Preserving and Creating a Path to Independence, Alternative Access Models, Utilizing Community Based Services
November 8 - Administration announced the plan3 to reform Medicaid and published the request for proposal

2012

January 26 - Kansas submits Section 1115 Demonstration concept paper to CMS
January 31 - Deadline for technical proposals
February 22 - Deadline for bids (fiscal component). Kansas announced that five companies submitted proposals
April 26 - Kansas submits Demonstration Application for Section 1115 Waiver
May - About 7 months remain in the planning process, and this includes enhanced consumer and provider education. Implementation is slated for January 2013. Public meetings continue with consumers, advocates and providers.
June 18 - Public Meeting in Wichita
June 20 - Public Meeting in Topeka
June 27 - State signs KanCare contracts with three companies: Amerigroup Kansas, Inc., Sunflower State Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas
July 30 through August 2 - KDHE and KDADS Secretaries and Staff held educational meetings throughout Kansas for Medicaid Beneficiaries and Providers. These took place in the following cities: Topeka, Garden City, Wichita, Leavenworth, Salina, Fort Scott, Hays and Overland Park.
August 21-31 - KanCare educational meetings for current Medicaid consumers and providers in KDADS-administered programs were held at 7 locations around the state.
September 24-27 - Another round of meetings for consumers took place Sept. 24-27 and included meetings in Manhattan, Pittsburg, Colby, Dodge City, Atchison, Chanute, Russell, Pratt, Olathe, Emporia, Hutchinson and El Dorado, in addition to a Teleconference.
November 26-29 - State official facilitated a fourth tour of educational meetings for consumers in 12 cities around the state.

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Historical Information

Additional information about KanCare is located below.

Archive

Below, you can find archived pages from the KanCare website. This means that the information is out of date or no longer relevant, but they remain on the website for the public.

Alternative Payment Model (APM)

Update Nov. 15, 2022:
This information is now archived. This program and the contact information for it is not active.

Update June 22, 2020:

Greetings KS-APM Design Council members,

KDHE/DHCF leadership have decided to delay launch of the Alternative Payment Method program until January 2022. Staff continues discussion with CMS to ensure all program elements are thoroughly reviewed in order to build a strong initiative in Kansas.

Planning and stakeholder work is expected to resume in the coming months. If you have any questions, please contact us at kdhe.KS-APM@ks.gov.

Thank you for your commitment to this endeavor.

What is the Alternative Payment Model?

As part of the special terms and conditions (STC) of the Kansas section 1115(a) demonstration waiver, the state is required to develop and implement an alternative payment model (APM) to improve health outcomes and contribute to delivery systems reforms. These reforms were formerly developed under a Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP) model. Under an APM, participating providers receive performance based payments for targeted conditions to address discharges back to home communities.

KDHE is establishing an Alternative Payment Design Council. The Council is composed of representatives from hospitals who will participate in the APM program and other providers that will collaborate with the hospitals. The Council will be led by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. The Council members will provide consultation to KDHE regarding planning and implementation of an APM program.

Information about Council Meetings, decisions and timelines will be provided here. Please check back for updates.

KS-APM Design Council

Design Council meetings have been paused due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Design Council Meeting Minutes 2-25-20

The following information was sent to the KS-APM Design Council on June 15, 2020: KS APM Stakeholder Update Letter 06-05-2020

Important Updates: