State Marketing Regulations

The Louisiana Department of Health has developed the following guideliens regarding communication between providers and patients regarding the Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs): 

  1. Participating providers who wish to let their patients know of their affiliations with one or more MCOs must list each MCO with whom they have contracts;
  2. Participating providers may display and/or distribute health education materials for all contracted MCOs or they may choose not to display and/or distribute for any contracted MCOs. Health education materials must adhere to the following guidance:
    • Health education posters cannot be larger than 16” X 24”;
    • Children’s books, donated by MCOs, must be in common areas;
    • Materials may include the MCOs name, logo, phone number and Website; and
    • Providers are not required to distribute and/or display all health education materials provided by each MCO with whom they contract.
  3. Providers can choose which items to display as long as they distribute items from each contracted MCO and that the distribution and quantity of items displayed are equitable.
  4. Providers may display marketing materials for MCOs provided that appropriate notice is conspicuously and equitably posted, in both size of material and type set, for all MCOs with whom the provider has a contract.
  5. Providers may display MCO participation stickers, but they must display stickers by all contracted MCOs or choose to not display stickers for any contracted MCOs.
  6. MCO stickers indicating the provider participates with a particular MCO cannot be larger than 5″ x 7” and not indicate anything more than “the MCO or MCO is accepted or welcomed here.”
  7. Providers may inform their patients of the benefits, services and specialty care services offered through the MCOs in which they participate. However, providers may not recommend one MCO over another MCO, offer patients incentives for selecting one MCO over another, or assist the patient in deciding to select a specific MCO in any way, including but not limited to faxing, using the office phone, or a computer in the office.
  8. Upon actual termination of a contract with the MCO, a provider that has contracts with other MCOs may notify their patients of the change in status and the impact of such a change on the patient included the date of the contract termination. Providers must continue to see current patients enrolled in the MCO until the contract is terminated according to all terms and conditions specified in the contract between the provider and the MCO.
  9. MCOs shall not produce branded materials instructing members on how to change a MCO. They must use DHH provided or approved materials and should refer members directly to the Enrollment Broker for needed assistance.