Minnesota has established a number of standards for the reporting and maintenance of health information regarding the state’s Medicaid program, called Minnesotacare.  Medicaid participating providers must maintain medical records, health care records, financial records, including appointment books and billing transmittal forms for five (5) years from the date of billing for the service.1  As a condition of participating with Medicaid, providers are also required to maintain health service records, which document each instance a health service is provided to a patient.2  The law requires providers to give the Department access to their financial records as well.3  The law also sets forth certain requirements that Medicaid providers using electronic health records must meet.4  While there is no formal authorization to release medical information to the Department of Human Services by Medicaid beneficiaries, the law presumes that this is authorized through the beneficiary’s initial application form for Medicaid.5

            Minnesota’s Medicaid program emphasizes high quality, low cost care through its regulations.  The law requires the Commissioner of Health to find ways to improve quality and contain costs in the Minnesotacare program. The Commissioner of Human Services is authorized to develop innovative health care delivery systems, such as accountable care organizations to be used to provide services to individuals eligible for medical assistance or enrolled in Medicaid.6  The law also encourages the Commissioner to find ways to address health disparities and access to care by racial and ethnic minorities.7  In addition, the Commissioner must establish a performance reporting system for Medicaid participating providers that includes measures of care for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease and measures of preventative care services.8  In a similar vein, the state has developed a disease management program to control the costs and outcomes of Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic conditions.9  The state’s Medicaid program is also required to provide health care homes to beneficiaries with chronic conditions.10  The law also requires that a utilization control program be put in place to monitor the quality of health care provided to Medicaid beneficiaries at hospitals, long term facilities, or mental disease treatment institutions.11