Providers still have questions
By Rick Karlin
Albany
The five-year, $42.8 million contract between the state Health Department and the company hired to administer the state's Early Intervention Program to help young children avoid disabilities in their later years runs more than 100 pages.
But one of the key portions, which describes Public Consulting Group's "management objectives," is blacked out.
Also covered up is a section that addresses "techniques and tools" for what the company does and the precise percentage it receives for bringing in more payments from private insurers. Much of the program is funded by Medicaid because billers look to that the state-federal health care program for the poor if private insurance won't pay for the services.
The secrecy is allowed by state laws that let government officials redact information made public that is deemed to be proprietary or that would put a private company at a competitive disadvantage if it were revealed.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Providers-still-have-questions-5629727.php