State Representative Darrel Branhagen says Des Moines Register article was "not quite right"

Republican State Representative Darrel Branhagen says he wants to set the record straight about what he says as some errors in the Des Moines Register article about Mayo Clinic and the new Iowa Medicaid program.

Branhagen says, like Ragan and Wilhelm, he has received numerous calls and emails about the situation, but he calls the newspaper article "misleading" and says there have been other attacks on "Medicaid modernization."

In his latest newsletter, an advanced copy of which was provided to decorahnews.com, Branhagen points out that Mayo Clinic in the past did not routinely take Iowa Medicaid patients because it didn't make economic sense to provide their services at the rates that the government offered.  However, on a case by case basis it provided services to some patients who needed technical or specialized medical care that only Mayo could provide.

He says Mayo has indicated that it will work with patients' Managed Care Organizations to gain prior authorization to continue care at the Mayo Clinic. 
 
Finally, Branhagen says Winneshiek Medical Center, which is managed by Mayo Clinic Health Systems, has signed contracts with two of the three Iowa contracted MCOs; while Gundersen Clinic Health Systems, Wellington Place, and Aase Haugen have each signed contracts with all three MCOs.  Branhagen says at least 96 percent of Iowa health care providers have signed multiple MCO contracts, at last report.