Acting Public Health Secretary Pete Untalan said patients under the Medicaid program, which is for financially challenged persons, should know that private clinics have been authorized to accept them since last year.
Currently, the CNMI Medicaid program has over $12 million in annual funding — $6.1 million each from the federal and local governments.
“If you look at it, 12,000 is a big chunk of our population — maybe it’s the sign of the times,” Untalan said. “These people will also be recipients of foods stamps. Now they have the opportunity to use private clinics through the Medicaid program.”
Untalan said referring Medicaid patients to private clinics help ease the burden at the government-owned Commonwealth Health Center, the only hospital on the islands.
Although CHC wants to attend to all patients, Untalan said it has limited facilities and medical staff.
“We have to evaluate our role. How can we provide access to healthcare to everyone? So what was done in the past year was we opened up Medicaid for the private clinics…. A year ago, they [Medicaid patients] we’re not able to do that. They were able to use only the facilities here. Now, they have the option to visit clinics outside,” said Untalan.
Some doctors who used to work at CHC have opened up their own private clinics.
Untalan said some have even made arrangements with Public Health regarding the use of CHC’s facilities.
Untalan said this system works for the department because it eases the burden on CHC staffers without compromising the medical treatment that patients need.
He said Public Health will try to work with other private doctors to make the same arrangement.
“The next phase is this: Allowing these same providers to admit their patients into the hospital and see their patients and discharge them and follow up at their clinics. Right now, this cycle is not complete. It is complete with Dr. Stearns and Dr. Aldan but it is not complete with other doctors,” he said.
“Care and access is very important for people. I really would like to focus on these 12,000 Medicaid members,” he added.
