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Board approves Union County public health clinical fee schedule changes; dental fees set for 5% increase
Summary
The Consolidated Human Services Board approved a set of clinical service fees (61 clinical fees plus an annual dental fee schedule) that the county will forward to the Board of County Commissioners for adoption into the budget. Staff described the Medicaid‑plus‑30% methodology and called out one test with no Medicaid rate.
Union Countypublic health staff presented a proposed update to the departmentclinical fee schedule and the Consolidated Human Services Board voted to approve the recommended fees, sending them to the Board of County Commissioners for formal adoption into the county budget.
The nut graf: The board approved 61 clinical fees (13 new fees and 48 adjusted fees tied to updated Medicaid rates) and an additional set of 89 dental fees; staff proposed a 5 percent increase on dental fees to offset inflationary cost pressures.
Tracy (absent; staff coverage by Ashley Burch) and Ashley Burch (public health staff) explained the fee‑setting methodology: for most items the department recommends the Medicaid‑approved reimbursement rate plus a 30 percent overhead allowance to cover administrative costs (staff time to write orders, nursing and lab costs, facility overhead). The packet presented to the board contains 61 clinical fees: 13 new items (12 of which use Medicaid rate + 30 percent) and 48 existing items being updated because Medicaid reimbursement rates changed. An additional 89 dental fees (presented at the meeting) were listed for annual review, with a proposed 5 percent increase.
Board members asked about the financial risk if Medicaid or commercial reimbursements do not cover the department's costs. Ashley Burch said the county operational budget would cover any shortfall and staff monitor fees during the year to flag problems; the department would return to the board if midyear adjustments were required.
Staff noted one item, a celiac‑antibodies profile, that lacked an approved Medicaid rate; for that test the recommended fee uses the approved commercial rate plus 30 percent. The presenter read the recommended amount for that test as $1,316.60 and told the board she would confirm final pricing if the lab cost proves higher than expected.
A board member moved to approve the fee schedule, another seconded, and the motion passed with no opposition. The approvals will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners to adopt as part of the county budget.
Ending: Staff said updated, formatted fee schedules will be included in budget materials to the Board of County Commissioners and confirmed they will track any out‑of‑cycle issues if departmental costs exceed reimbursements.
