CMS Recognizes MedAssist as a Certified Application Counselor Organization [Professional Services Close – Up]

MedAssist, a provider of eligibility, enrollment and other revenue recovery solutions, announced that after completing a review process, it has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to be a Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO).

In a release, the Company said that on behalf of hospital clients and in support of their patients, it will provide services that help individual patients understand, apply and enroll for health coverage through all of the newly-established ACA marketplaces, including federally facilitated, state partnership and state-based marketplaces.

"This designation by CMS recognizes our unwavering commitment to ensure the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through the positive engagement of patients who are eligible for new forms of coverage," said Mitzi Winters, MedAssist Chief Operating Officer. "We are excited to receive this designation as it further supports our mission to help patients in need find paying solutions for their healthcare expenses. Our roots run deep in patient advocacy, and the opportunity to assist patients with healthcare insurance marketplace enrollment is one more way in which we can support our hospital partners and the patients they serve," Winters said.

MedAssist said that this acknowledgement provides the Company with the organizational status to facilitate the certification of staff members to participate in the Certified Application Counselor (CAC) program in states utilizing a federally facilitated marketplace. "We have made a significant commitment of time and resources to ensure that our hospital partners are prepared to take advantage of the benefits of the ACA. As such, we have implemented a rigorous training process that has already established more than 600 of our employees as Certified Application Counselors," Winters said.

According to CMS, in order to receive the CDO designation, organizations must:

-Establish processes to screen staff to make sure that they protect consumer information;

-Engage in services that position them to help those they serve with health coverage issues;

-Have experience providing social services to the community.

CDO organizations must also agree to ensure that designated CAC individuals complete the required training, and that they comply with background checks, privacy and security laws and other conflict of interest, ethical and legal standards.

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