Steven Grigas

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A former interim Medicaid Director, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Deputy General Counsel, and Chief Medicaid Counsel for the State of Florida, Steven Grigas has presided over the State of Florida’s $15 billion Medicaid program with particular focus in managed care, disease management, pharmacy services, long term care, and hospital services.

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2020 Legislative Session –A Sampling of Health Related Bills Filed

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Affordable Care Act and Other Healthcare Reform Legislation, Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Medicare & Medicaid
The 2020 Legislative Session will begin its 60-day trek to completion on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The following is a sample of bills that have been filed. We encourage you to review these bills, and contact us with specific questions about them. The listing of these bills should not be interpreted as any indication that … Continue Reading

2019 Legislative Session – The Passage of Telehealth (HB 23)

By Steven Grigas and Bruce D. Platt on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Healthcare Law, Medicare & Medicaid
In the closing days of this year’s legislative session, the Florida House and Senate came to agreement on statutory language that adopts the parameters for telehealth for Florida. HB 23, sponsored by Representative Clay Yarborough, establishes a statutory basis for telehealth services, provides meaningful definitions of the terms telehealth and telehealth provider, and creates Section … Continue Reading

Year in Review/Year Ahead: Medicaid Expansion: An Unanswered Call in 2018

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Affordable Care Act and Other Healthcare Reform Legislation, Healthcare Law, Medicare & Medicaid
The Akerman Healthcare Practice Group, as part of its ongoing informational blogs and Practice Updates, will be publishing a series of articles, each outlining a significant healthcare industry issue from 2018, with an eye towards what to expect in 2019. The following is the third in our series – The Year in Review/The Year Ahead: … Continue Reading

The 2018 SMMC Proposed Contract Awards: Where Do You Go From Here?

By Steven Grigas and Bruce D. Platt on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Medicare & Medicaid
On April 24 the Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”) released its proposed contract awards for the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (“SMMC”) Program.  The determinations that AHCA made for this 5 year, $90 billion re-procurement were surprising to many and are likely to result in a significant reshaping of the program that currently exists.  First, … Continue Reading

2018 Legislative Session –A Sampling of Health Related Bills Filed

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Healthcare Law, Healthcare Reform Legislation, Medicare & Medicaid
The 2018 Florida Legislative Session began its 60 day trek to completion on Tuesday, January 9, 2018.  Both House and Senate will be debating various health related bills which may be of interest to healthcare providers in the State.  The following is a sample of those bills which we feel are pertinent to our clients’ … Continue Reading

Florida Nursing Home Deaths Have Ripple Effects for Facilities Statewide

By Steven Grigas and Sheryl D. Rosen on Posted in Healthcare Law
Hurricane Irma’s wrath knocked out power to much of Florida. At one South Florida senior rehabilitation center left in the dark, the generator was not powerful enough to sustain the air conditioning system, and a portable cooling system malfunctioned. Indoor temperatures swelled, leading to the deaths of eight patients before the facility was evacuated. An additional … Continue Reading

Uncertainty Surrounds Low Income Pool (LIP) Funding

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Healthcare Reform Legislation, Hospitals & Health Systems, Medicare & Medicaid
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in an August 3, 2017 letter to Florida’s Medicaid Director, approved a five-year extension of the State’s 1115 demonstration project, the Managed Medical Assistance Program (MMA). As part of this extension, CMS approved low-income pool (LIP) funding of approximately $1.5 billion annually. The LIP was created in … Continue Reading

Issues and Analysis of the State’s Medicaid Managed Assistance ITN

By Steven Grigas and Bruce D. Platt on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Healthcare Reform Legislation, Medicare & Medicaid
The recently released Invitations to Negotiate (ITN) for Florida’s Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program (SMMC) parallels in large part the State’s initial procurements that were released in 2012 and 2013. Where the current ITN differs, however, should be of interest to all applicants and associated parties. This blog post addresses several of the more significant … Continue Reading

State Releases Medicaid Managed Care Invitation to Negotiate

By Steven Grigas and Bruce D. Platt on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations, Healthcare Reform Legislation, Medicare & Medicaid
Last Friday, July 14, 2017, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) released its long awaited Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for State Wide Medicaid Managed Care services. The ITN, one for each of the 11 regions within the state, may be found on the state Vendor Bid System (VBS), the link for which is … Continue Reading

HIPAA Audits – Phase 2: On-Site Audits Scheduled for First Quarter of 2017

By Steven Grigas and Elizabeth F. Hodge on Posted in HIPAA, Privacy, and Data Security, Hospitals & Health Systems, Physicians
Covered Entities and Business Associates may be ringing in the New Year with the prospect of responding to on-site HIPAA audits by federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has announced that a certain number of comprehensive on-site HIPAA compliance reviews will be done over the first … Continue Reading

Two-Midnight Rule Update

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Medicare & Medicaid
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a further delay, through December 31, 2015, of the Recovery Auditors’ (RA) audits of the “Two-Midnight” Rule. Congress previously passed a law delaying enforcement Recovery Audits for the Two Midnight Rule through September 30, 2015. This has now been extended through December 31, 2015 with enforcement … Continue Reading

King v. Burwell: An Answer Arrives

By Steven Grigas on Posted in Affordable Care Act and Other Healthcare Reform Legislation, Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations
Thursday’s Supreme Court decision in the King v. Burwell case can be seen as a major victory for the Obama Administration, resolving, at least for the time being, the continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act by upholding insurance subsidies for about 6.4 million consumers in over 34 states. Once again, Chief Justice John Roberts, … Continue Reading

Protests of the Medicaid Managed Assistance ITN Recommended Awards

By Steven Grigas and Bruce D. Platt on Posted in Health Insurers & Managed Care Organizations
Pursuant to Section 409.966, Florida Statutes, traditional Medicaid services are to be provided to Florida recipients through a limited number of Managed Care Organizations (“MCOs”) in the 11 Regions of the state.  The Agency released Invitations to Negotiate (“ITNs)” for each of the Regions inviting MCOs to submit proposals to provide coverage to Medicaid recipients … Continue Reading

OIG Recommends Florida make $2.3M Repayment for Medicaid Overpayment Reporting Failures

By Steven Grigas and Robert E. Slavkin on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory, Medicare & Medicaid
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General, in a report dated March 2013, has recommended that the State of Florida repay approximately $2.3M in federal funds that represent the federal share of Medicaid overpayment collected for the audit period of July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2010, and a … Continue Reading

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Releases Questions and Answers Specific to the Medicaid Managed Care Invitations to Negotiate

By Bruce D. Platt and Steven Grigas on Posted in Government Affairs, Licensure & Regulatory
Florida is in the process of moving the majority of its Medicaid population into managed care settings – either into Health Maintenance Organizations or Provider Service Networks.   First, Florida focused on moving long-term care Medicaid members – including Medicaid recipients in nursing homes and the Florida nursing home diversion program – into managed care. In … Continue Reading
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