Louisiana’s once-defunct Medical Care Advisory Committee has been reactivated and new members have been appointed. A bill passed by the Legislature earlier this year also reorganizes the committee, which is charged with advising the Department of Health and Hospitals on the state’s Medicaid program. More than 1.2 million Louisiana adults and children receive health care services through the program, ranging from acute to long-term care. With the significant expansion of Medicaid being a major part of all the reform bills in Washington, it is anticipated the Medicaid rolls in Louisiana will grow to more than 1.6 million people, with most of the expansion population being adults. The added cost of this expansion exceeds $2 billion annually, with a $130 million state match.
DHH Secretary Alan Levine says he always seeks feedback from affected stakeholders before a policy is implemented, and the reactivated committee will provide his department with good continuity and expertise. “While DHH is charged with the huge task of being accountable for the Medicaid program, we believe our decisions are better when they include input from the people who are impacted,” he says. The committee will hold its first meeting in January to begin the process of revamping its bylaws and establishing an agenda. Levine says the selection process for members was methodical and officials “took the time to find the right blend of people who have been involved in the process in the past while also trying to attract new people who have not yet had the opportunity to be involved.”
The new advisory committee has several members from Baton Rouge, including:
— Dr. Ronald Andrews, co-owner of Pediatric and Internal Medicine Associates
— Coletta Barrett, vice president of mission of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
— Gil Dupre, CEO of the Louisiana Association of Health Plans and a member of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Health Care Taskforce
— Dr. Stewart Gordon, president of Louisiana’s Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
— Dr. Craig Greene, orthopedic trauma surgeon at the Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic
— Dr. Johnnie Hunt, pediatric dentist at Pediatric Dental Specialists of Baton Rouge
— Rhonda Litt, executive director of the Louisiana Primary Care Association
— Dr. Katharine Rathbun, medical director at Concentra Medical Center
— Paul Salles, executive vice president of the Louisiana Hospital Association
— Dr. Roxane Townsend, interim CEO at LSU Hospitals
— Dr. Dawn Rube Vick, pediatrician at The Pediatric Clinic in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
