Amendment No. 21 to the Medicaid Managed Care Agreement (EOHHS – UnitedHealthcare of New England)
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Amendment updating program standards, contract terms, attachments, reimbursement methodologies, compliance and program integrity requirements effective July 1, 2026; affects the Contractor (UnitedHealthcare of New England), MCO operations, providers, and state program administration.
Insertion of 'Inclusion of EPSDT beneficiary rights' into Required Information.
Pharmacy Services paragraph replaced to carve out Cell and Gene Therapy SCD model drugs to be reimbursed at Actual Acquisition Cost outside inpatient bundles with MDRP rebates to the state and MCOs prohibited from collecting rebates.
High-cost drug carve-out requirements: listing on EOHHS website, carve out of capitation, reimbursed at FFS via pass-through, excluded from risk arrangements, with MCO responsibilities for prior authorization, care coordination, reporting, and claims adjudication.
Network composition requirement that providers meet Rhode Island Medicaid location/physical presence and telehealth requirements [210-RICR-20-00-1].
Updates to State Directed Payments table and fee schedule rows as shown in Exhibit A (rate and payment changes across multiple services).
Entire Section 2.18 Compliance deleted and replaced with new Compliance provisions (Exhibit B) including mandatory written compliance plan, Compliance Officer located in Rhode Island, reporting and auditing duties, overpayment reporting, and provider enrollment/suspension requirements.
New Section 2.19 Program Integrity inserted (Exhibit C referenced).
Contract term language updated to note CMS final approval and restate effective period and option years.
Section 3.07.03 Fraud and Abuse is deleted in its entirety.
Doula Services Scope of Benefit replaced to cover all Medicaid members when medically necessary including prenatal, labor/delivery support, and postpartum visits regardless of pregnancy outcome.
Attachment H (Capitation Rates) renamed to SFY 2027 and replaced with references to Rate Book and Tables dated April 24, 2026.
Attachment J incentive payment and risk/gain share provisions updated, specifying sharing percentages across expense bands and limiting incentives to <=105% of approved capitation per 42 CFR §438.6(b)(2).
Compliance obligations under H.R.6 (SUPPORT Act) added, requiring automated DUR safety edits for opioid refills, automated claims review to identify excess refills, monitoring concurrent prescribing (opioids with benzodiazepines/antipsychotics), MME safety edits, and concurrent utilization alerts.
Coverage Criteria and Benefit Changes
Doula Services Coverage
Attachment A benefit update for Doula Services:
High-Cost Drug Carve-Out Criteria
High-cost drug reimbursement and administrative responsibilities:
State reserved rights
- State may conduct audits as necessary to ensure compliance with the pass-through model.
- State may modify the structure or cadence of the pass-through model and may seek supplemental materials as needed.
Disclosure and integrity criteria
Disclosure and enrollment criteria for Contractors and providers:
Program Integrity Criteria Set
Contractor program integrity and FWA obligations
Payment suspension, fraud reporting, and provider exclusion criteria
Contractor obligations when EOHHS imposes payment suspensions, when credible allegations of fraud arise, and when providers are excluded/terminated.
Rate calculation components
Rate calculation elements present in this excerpt
Rate table criteria and adjustments (partial)
Rate table components and adjustment items shown in the excerpt include:
Rate computation components
Rate computation elements included in the tables
Rate component nodes (JSON-encoded)
Rate components and calculations included in the excerpt (examples):
Actuarial rate table components and notes
Rate table components and notes included in this part:
Coding, Rates, and Exhibit A
| A0426 | NEMT ALS - ambulance rate entries updated in Exhibit A |
| A0427 | Emergency ALS - ambulance rate entries updated in Exhibit A |
| A0428 | NEMT BLS - ambulance rate entries updated in Exhibit A |
| A0429 | Emergency BLS - ambulance rate entries updated in Exhibit A |
| 41899 | Generic code allowed in lieu of G-Code for ambulatory dental anesthesia facility fee |
| G0330 | Facility services for dental rehabilitation referenced in Exhibit A |
| >25,000 | Business transactions exceeding $25,000 in prior 12 months trigger disclosure requests under 42 CFR 455.105 |
| No codes listed |
| Providers excluded or debarred from Medicare/Medicaid (including other states' programs) must not be reimbursed except for Emergency Services. |
| No procedure or diagnosis codes included in this excerpt; document contains numeric rate tables only. |
| No explicit CPT/HCPCS/ICD-10/NDC codes present in this excerpt. |
| No procedure or diagnosis codes present in this section; content is population-level rate tables and adjustments. |
| No CPT/HCPCS/ICD-10/NDC codes contained in this part; document contains actuarial numeric rate cells only. |
| No CPT/HCPCS/ICD-10/NDC codes contained in this part; document contains actuarial numeric rate cells only. |
Provider Responsibilities and Operational Requirements
Prior Authorization for Carved-Out High-Cost Drugs
MCOs remain responsible for prior authorization for high-cost drugs carved out of capitation and must use criteria developed by or approved by the State.
Opioid/Controlled Substances Safety Edits Required
Contractor must implement automated drug utilization review safety edits for opioid refills, automated claims review to identify refills in excess of State limits, monitor concurrent prescribing (opioids with benzodiazepines and/or antipsychotics), apply maximum daily MME safety edits, and provide concurrent utilization alerts.
Fraud Referral and Payment Suspension
The Contractor must promptly refer potential fraud, waste, or abuse to the EOHHS Office of Program Integrity or Fraud Control Unit and the State may suspend payments to network providers when it determines there is a credible allegation of fraud in accordance with 42 C.F.R. §455.23.
Restrictions on Contractor Actions After Reporting
Once suspected fraud is substantiated and reported to EOHHS, the Contractor shall not contact investigation subjects, negotiate settlements, or accept funds from subjects without prior written EOHHS approval.
Payment Suspension — Suspend and Lift Actions within 24 Hours
Upon receipt of notification from EOHHS that payments to a provider have been suspended, the Contractor must suspend payments to the provider within twenty-four (24) hours, include claims ready for payment unless EOHHS states otherwise, and lift a suspension within twenty-four (24) hours of EOHHS notification to lift.
- Inform EOHHS immediately after suspending or lifting payments.
- Require Subcontractors to suspend payments to applicable providers and return any money paid in error for services to a suspended provider.
Payment Suspension and Lift Operational Steps
Suspend payments to a Provider within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of notification from EOHHS that payments to a provider have been suspended; include claims ready for payment unless otherwise stated by EOHHS, and lift a payment suspension within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt of notification from EOHHS of a payment suspension lift.
Use Risk-Adjusted Monthly PMPM Rate Tables
Risk-adjusted monthly per-member-per-month (PMPM) rates and adjustments are provided for specified beneficiary groups (CSHCN subgroups, Medicaid Expansion cohorts and other demographic cells) and must be used as the basis for payment calculations.
July–September 2026 Risk-Adjusted Rate Tables (Partial)
UnitedHealthcare risk-adjusted PMPM rate tables for July–September 2026 (Medicaid Expansion cohorts shown) specify effective rates, adjusted risk scores, neutrality adjustments, CCBHC PPS PMPM, primary care assessment PMPM, premium tax PMPM, and final risk-adjusted full rates to be applied per cohort.
Rate Adjustments and 0.5% Withhold Application
Adjusted components — including CCBHC PPS PMPM, CTC adjustments, premium tax PMPM, budget-neutral vaccine neutrality adjustments, and a 0.5% withhold applied to medical expense — are applied to derive final adjusted PMPM rates; example: RIte Care Children RC - MF<1 final adjusted rate $857.80 and withhold-adjusted $853.51.
- 0.5% withhold applied to medical expense to derive adjusted rate less withhold.
- Return or reconcile funds consistent with rate adjustments and EOHHS directions.
Rate Table Excerpts — Cohort-Level PMPM Components
Rate table excerpts present risk-adjusted monthly PMPM rates and components for multiple eligibility groups and age/gender cohorts (examples include RIte Care children, CSHCN subgroups, and Medicaid Expansion cohorts) and must be referenced when adjudicating payments.
Contents Summary — Risk-Adjusted Rate Tables and Adjustments
Risk-adjusted rate table contents include numeric rate tables and adjustments (adjusted risk scores, vaccine neutrality adjustments, PMPM assessment and premium tax adjustments) and note that final adjusted rates include a 0.5% withhold and use a February 2026 enrollment snapshot.
- Final adjusted rates include a 0.5% withhold; values are rounded.
- February 2026 enrollment snapshot used; SOBRA payments excluded from composites.
Definitions and Key Terms
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