Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Office of Medicaid
600 Washington Street
Boston, MA  02111
www.mass.gov/dma	
	MassHealth
Municipally Based Health Services Bulletin 10
	January 2004

	TO:	Municipally Based Health Service Providers Participating in MassHealth

	FROM:	Beth Waldman, Director, Office of Medicaid

	RE:	Services Provided to Special Education Students

Background	The purpose of this bulletin is to clarify the Municipal Medicaid Program documentation requirements for Special Education health-related services.

MassHealth issued Municipally Based Health Services Bulletin 9 in October 2003, and held statewide training sessions during September 2003. 

Municipal Medicaid providers must document health-related services provided to those students for whom the provider claims payment under its Municipal Medicaid Provider Agreement. It is the responsibility of the Municipal Medicaid provider to ensure that all contractors (including, for example private schools, collaboratives, and 766 schools) document services appropriately and maintain the required service documentation.  Bulletin 9 detailed the required documentation data elements and provided a sample documentation form called the Municipal Medicaid Program Service Documentation Form. 

In accordance with Sections II.c and II.d of the Municipal Medicaid Provider Agreement, all relevant records must be maintained for a minimum of six years.

Clarification 	            It is not necessary for the required data elements to be maintained in the format About                         of the Service Documentation Form.  As long as all the required data elements  
Documentation         as detailed in Bulletin 9 are documented, schools may retain the documentation in a different format.

If the required data elements are documented in an electronic format that captures the identity of the medical professional providing the services, it is not necessary to have that professional sign a hard copy version of the documentation. However, the documentation system established by the school must, in all instances, capture the identity of the professional or professionals actually providing the services.
	
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Questions	If you have further questions about the Municipal Medicaid program, please contact:  MassHealth Provider Services at 617-628-4141 or 1-800-325-5231. This bulletin and Bulletin 9 are available on the MassHealth Web site at  www.mass.gov/dma, under “DMA Publications.”