ERVIC
5.9.0

OF HEALTH AND SERVICES
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

?(in m: 2020!

HEALTH
2017
The Honorable Torn Udall The Honorable Martin Heinrich
United States Senate United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Ben Ray Luj an The Honorable Michelle Luj an Grisham
US. House of Representatives US. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Udall, Senator Heinrich, Representative Luj an and Representative Luj an Grisham:

Thank you for your letter of May 24, 2017, requesting that the Of?ce of Inspector General (01G)
conduct work on the extent to which Medicaid managed care plans in New Mexico include
behavioral health providers, as well as the capacity of those providers to meet the health care

needs of the Medicaid population. This letter responds to your request and outlines the work that
OIG will undertake.

OlG?s work will include enrollees in New Mexico and four other States. Speci?cally, OIG will
review the extent to which behavioral health providers are included in the States? managed care
plans and the types of care offered by these providers. We will also assess the extent to which
behavioral health providers have available appointments for new patients, the extent to which
behavioral health providers have waiting lists, and the extent to which behavioral health
providers are able to make referrals to other behavioral health providers for needed care. Finally,
we plan to address ways to improve the continuity of care for Medicaid enrollees in the five
States.

We will begin this work in fall 2017, and once we complete the work, we will share the report
with you. If you have any questions, please contact me, or your staff may contact Jason
Wittemen, Director of Congressional Affairs, at (202) 708-975 5 or

ason.Wittemen@oig.hhs. gov.

 

Sincerely,

MKW

Daniel R. Levinson
Inspector General