The impact of Medicaid-linked reimbursements on revenues of public sexually transmitted disease clinics.
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.
Downey
Lois
L
Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. ldowney@u.washington.edu
Lafferty
William E
WE
Krekeler
Barbara
B
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