New Medicaid Provider Enrollment Portal Launches April 2021

Date: 03/12/21

The Louisiana Department of Health will be launching a new Louisiana Medicaid Provider Enrollment Portal in April 2021. The portal is designed to meet Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements and will be required by all Medicaid providers.  

All current providers, whether participating as a fee-for-service provider, MCO-only provider, or both, must validate their information and sign the state’s provider participation agreement through the portal within six months of the launch date. 

To prepare for the new enrollment and screening process, providers should:

• Talk to their office staff that typically help with enrollment and credentialing processes.
• Look up their NPI and assigned taxonomies.
• Review all taxonomy options.

Additionally, MCO-only providers should decide whether they also want to participate in the fee-for-service model. Providers are not required to enroll as fee-for-service unless they would like to do so.

Enrollment and Credentialing

The new process requires that all providers complete their enrollment and screening through the new web-based portal.

All providers must be screened by the state at the following intervals:

• When they initially apply for and submit an application to become a Medicaid provider;
• Upon reenrollment (reactivation of a previously closed provider number) in the state’s Medicaid program; and
• At least once every five years to revalidate their enrollment, which is similar to the recredentialing process that all MCOs complete every three years. MCO-only providers also must still complete the recredentialing process with MCOs every three years.

This process does not take the place of the normal MCO credentialing process.

Purpose of the New Enrollment Portal

The portal will be pre-populated with information that the state and MCOs already have on file so that the provider can more easily submit an application through the portal. This streamlined process eliminates the need to complete and mail a paper application. Also, providers will have the ability to track their application through the portal.

More updates and information will be provided in updates to Informational Bulletin 21-5. Providers are encouraged to read the complete bulletin for additional details.