title: The impact of Medicaid-linked reimbursements on revenues of public sexually transmitted disease clinics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics faced with decreased tax revenue and increased costs must evaluate alternative revenue sources.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report one public STD clinic's Medicaid-linked revenue and discuss the association between system characteristics and reimbursement potential.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of 4208 patients visiting the clinic for new problems during a 6-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 458 Medicaid-enrolled patients, only 55% acknowledged enrollment at the time of visit. The clinic captured revenue for many of the remaining 45% through a centralized public health information/billing system, which submitted retroactive STD clinic claims when patients self-reported Medicaid enrollment at later visits to other public health clinics. These belated self-reports also contributed to Medicaid administrative-match reimbursements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An estimated $100,000 (31% of the clinic's direct reimbursements for service) would have been lost in 2000, had detection of Medicaid enrollment been based exclusively on patients' self-reports at STD clinic visits.
authors.affiliation: Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. ldowney@u.washington.edu
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Lafferty
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krekeler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000191:economics*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics*; D011634:Public Health / Q000191:economics; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014861:Washington