Independent Review of MAXIMUS-Administered California SCHIP Program Yields Exceptional Results
RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
MAXIMUS (NYSE:MMS), a leading provider of government services, announced today that it received exceptional results under an independent review performed by The Lewin Group for its administration of California's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Healthy Families program with an error rate of just 0.04%.
Under the Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and in compliance with the Improper Payment Information Act of 2002, all Medicaid and SCHIP programs are required to be reviewed. The Lewin Group, an independent auditor for CMS, conducted the review and approved the state of California's sampling plan. California is one of seventeen SCHIP states that were the first group to participate in the PERM program.
"MAXIMUS has been a valued partner for California, administering the Healthy Families program since 2004, and the results validate the effectiveness of California's high accuracy performance standards and MAXIMUS' superior performance in administering the program," commented Lesley Cummings, Executive Director of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB). "These results set a high standard for accurately determining and assessing SCHIP eligibility that will be used to develop a national SCHIP PERM standard. Together and in partnership, MRMIB and MAXIMUS are enrolling uninsured children into California's SCHIP program efficiently and accurately."
"At MAXIMUS, we take our responsibility very seriously to the state of California and to the 885,000 children currently enrolled in California's Healthy Families program," commented Michael Lemberg, President of MAXIMUS Western Region Health Operations. "We are proud of the results we achieved in partnership with California on its SCHIP program and, in conjunction with California's existing Program Quality Assurance Unit, we were pleased to be able to provide the data used in the sampling to CMS's auditors which met their stringent criteria. This is a testament to the oversight and monitoring already in place by MAXIMUS and the state of California."
MAXIMUS began administering California's Healthy Families program in January 2004 and provides services that include application intake, enrollment eligibility, and ongoing case maintenance and management.
California's Healthy Families Program is the largest SCHIP in the nation and is larger than the second and third largest SCHIP combined. The program has provided health, dental and vision coverage to over 2.5 million uninsured California children since its inception in 1998. The Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board has been in existence since 1989 administering two additional programs including the Access for Infants and Mothers program that provides comprehensive health coverage for pregnant women, and the Major Risk Medical Insurance Program that provides coverage to individuals who have been denied individual coverage due to pre-existing health conditions.
MAXIMUS is a leading provider of government services and is devoted to providing health and human services program management and consulting services to its clients. The Company has more than 6,000 employees located in more than 220 offices in the United States, Canada and Australia. Additionally, MAXIMUS is included in the Russell 2000 Index and the S&P SmallCap 600 Index.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's confidence and strategies and the Company's expectations about revenues, results of operations, profitability, future contracts, market opportunities, market demand or acceptance of the Company's products are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements and include reliance on government clients; risks associated with government contracting; risks involved in managing government projects; legislative changes and political developments; opposition from government unions; challenges resulting from growth; adverse publicity; and legal, economic, and other risks detailed in Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's most recent Quarterly Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, found on www.maximus.com.
Source: MAXIMUS
Released October 8, 2008