Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 50 - PUBLIC HEALTH-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Part I - Administration
Subpart 3 - Managed Care for Physical and Behavioral Health
Chapter 21 - Dental Benefits Prepaid Ambulatory Health Plan
Section I-2117 - Independent Review Process for Dental Provider Claims

1. Pursuant to Act 284 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, for adverse determinations related to dental claims filed on or after November 20, 2018, a dentist/dental provider shall have a right to an independent review of the adverse action of the DBPM.

2. For purposes of these provisions, adverse determinations shall refer to dental claims submitted by healthcare providers for payment for dental services rendered to Medicaid enrollees and denied by the DBPM, in whole or in part, or more than 60 days have elapsed since the claim was submitted and the dentist has received no remittance advice or other written or electronic notice from the DBPM either partially or totally denying the claim.

1. Prior to submitting a request for independent review, a provider shall submit a written request for reconsideration to the DBPM, as provided for by the DBPM and in accordance with this Section. The request shall identify the claim(s) in dispute, the reasons for the dispute, and any documentation supporting the provider's position or request by the DBPM.

2. The DBPM shall acknowledge in writing its receipt of a reconsideration request submitted in accordance with §2117.B 1, within five calendar days after receipt, and render a final decision by providing a response to the provider within 45 calendar days from the date of receipt of the request for reconsideration, unless another time frame is agreed upon in writing by the dentist/dental provider and the DBPM.

3. If the DBPM reverses the adverse determination pursuant to a request for reconsideration, payment of the claim(s) in dispute shall be made no later than 20 days from the date of the DBPMs decision.

1. If the DBPM upholds the adverse determination, or does not respond to the reconsideration request within the time frames allowed, the provider may file a written notice with the department requesting the adverse determination be submitted to an independent reviewer. The department must receive the written request from the provider for an independent review within 60 days from the date the provider receives the DBPMs notice of the decision of the reconsideration request, or if the DBPM does not respond to the reconsideration request within the time frames allowed, within 10 days of the last date of the time period allowed for the DBPM to respond.

2. The dentist/dental provider shall include a copy of the written request for reconsideration with the request for an independent review. The appropriate address to be used by the provider for submission of the request shall be Medicaid Dental Benefits Independent Review, P.O. Box 91283, Bin 32, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9283.

3. Upon receipt of a notice of request for independent review and supporting information and documentation, the department shall refer the adverse determination to the dental claims review panel.

4. Subject to approval by the independent reviewer, a dentist/dental provider may aggregate multiple adverse determinations involving the same DBPM when the specific reason for nonpayment of the claims aggregated involve a dispute regarding a common substantive question of fact or law.

5. Within 14 calendar days of receipt of the request for independent review, the independent reviewer shall request to be provided all information and documentation submitted for reconsideration regarding the disputed claim or claims within 30 calendar days.

6. If the independent reviewer determines that guidance on an administrative issue from the department is required to make a decision, the reviewer shall refer this specific issue to the department for review and concise response to the request within 30 calendar days after receipt.

7. The independent reviewer shall examine all materials submitted and render a decision on the dispute within 60 calendar days. The independent reviewer may request in writing an extension of time from the dental claims review panel to resolve the dispute. If an extension of time is granted by the panel, the independent reviewer shall provide notice of the extension to the dental provider and the DBPM.

8. If the independent reviewer renders a decision requiring the DBPM to pay any claims or portion of the claims, within 20 calendar days, the DBPM shall send the provider payment in full along with interest calculated back to the date the claim was originally denied or recouped.

1. The DBPM shall pay the fee for an independent review to the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry. The dentist/dental provider shall, within 10 days of the date of the decision of the independent reviewer, reimburse the DBPM for the fee associated with conducting an independent review when the decision of the DBPM is upheld. If the provider fails to submit payment for the independent review within 10 days from the date of the decision, the DBPM may withhold future payments to the provider in an amount equal to the cost of the independent review, and the department may prohibit that provider from future participation in the independent review process.

2. If the DBPM fails to pay the bill for the independent reviewer's services, the reviewer may request payment directly from the department from any funds held by the state that are payable to the DBPM.

3. The fee for an independent review of a dental claim shall be paid in an amount established in a memorandum of understanding between the department and the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry, not to exceed $2,000 per review.

1. The dental claims review panel shall select and identify an appropriate number of independent reviewers to comprise a reviewer pool and continually review the number and outcome of requests for reconsideration and independent reviews on an aggregated basis.

2. The panel shall consist of the secretary or his/her duly designated representative, one representative from each DBPM, a number of dentist representatives equal to the number of representatives from DBPMs and the dean of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry or his/her designee.

3. The reviewer pool selected by the dental claims review panel shall be comprised of dentists who are on the faculty of the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry and have agreed to applicable terms for compensation, confidentiality, and related provisions established by the department. The reviewer pool shall include:

4. The reviewer pool shall not include any dentist who is currently performing compensated services for the DBPM, whether the compensation is paid directly or through a contract with the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry or other state entity, or has received any such compensation at any time in the prior 12 months.

5. The reviewer pool shall not include any dentist who has received reimbursement for dental services rendered to Medicaid patients in a private practice setting in the past 60 days.

6. No dentist shall be eligible to submit denied Medicaid claims for independent review while participating in the reviewer pool.