The ISMA presented two central Indiana legislators with the Legislator of the Year Award for their support on health care issues. The annual award is presented to a legislator, or legislators, who helped the ISMA advocate for patients during the past legislative year.

Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, and Rep. Tim Brown, M.D., R-Crawfordsville, accepted awards Sept. 17 during the ISMA convention.

Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis	Rep. Tim Brown, M.D., R-Crawfordsville
A registered nurse, Sen. Miller was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1982 and the Indiana Senate in 1983. She chairs the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee, which addresses health, health insurance, social services and Medicaid issues. She also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Elections Committee.	First elected in 1994, Rep. Brown, a family medicine physician, is chair of the Public Health Committee. He also serves on the Education Committee and the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee.

“Both legislators have a proven track record of advocating for patients,” said Mike Rinebold, director of Government Relations. “It was a pleasure to work closely with both legislators, and I look forward to continuing to build upon the work they accomplished last session.”

Rinebold noted that Sen. Miller helped pass a bill that requires the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning or a managed care organization to notify physicians 30 days in advance of any changes to prior authorization, claims processing, payment rates, medical policies and claims issues. The new law will help reduce denials of claims.

To prevent delays in reimbursements, Rep. Brown authored a measure requiring Medicaid to establish a single verification system, operated by the state, beginning Jan. 1, 2012. The new law will provide physicians with accurate enrollment data to help them serve thousands of Medicaid members.