The top Medicaid official at the Montana Department of Health has submitted his resignation and plans to take a job in the private sector, a spokesperson for the agency announced Thursday afternoon.
Mike Randle is leaving his position as state Medicaid director, about two years after taking the position under Gov. Greg Gianforte’s former Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meyer. Department spokesman John Ebert said Randle’s resignation was accepted on April 23 and his last day will be May 10.
“Mike has made lasting contributions to Montana’s Medicaid program during his tenure at DPHHS,” Department of Health Director Charlie Brereton said in an emailed statement. “I appreciate Mike’s contributions and hope he returns to Kansas City and pursues a career in the private sector.”
Prior to his position in Montana, Randle worked for Cerner Corp., a health technology company. Prior to that, he ran Medicaid programs in Iowa and Kansas. Ebert did not immediately respond to additional questions about the company Randle is joining or what his new job entails.
The state’s largest agency has seen a steady stream of top personnel changes since Gianforte took office in 2021. About a month after Rundle joined the department, Meyer stepped down and Brereton, 29, took over as director in 2022. Other high-level retirements include Erika Johnston, the executive director of human services who took over from former Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration, and Will Ebo, chief medical facilities officer who was hired by Meyer.
During Mr. Randle’s time in Montana, the department successfully applied for a Medicaid program waiver expansion, creating new reimbursement opportunities for substance use disorder treatment and services, a key priority of the Gianforte administration. Ta. The agency also implemented significant increases in many Medicaid reimbursement rates across the areas of behavioral health, elder care, long-term care, and developmental disabilities.
But the agency has also navigated complex challenges, many of which hit right in Randle’s wheelhouse. He oversaw ongoing disruption and staffing shortages at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs, which had lost its federal accreditation before he joined the department. Additionally, more than 120,000 Montanans lost Medicaid coverage due to a major eligibility review conducted within the last year, and Medicaid providers have complained in recent months about delays in Medicaid reimbursement and contract payments. There is.
Ebert announced Thursday that Brereton has appointed Rebecca de Camara, currently administrator of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, to serve as acting Medicaid director, effective May 13. De Camara’s position will be filled by Department Deputy Administrator Megan Peel.
Ebert said the Health Facilities Division, which falls under Randle’s department and includes Montana State Hospital, will report directly to Brereton for now.
Ebert went on to say that the department will “consider internal candidates and begin a national search” for a new Medicaid director.
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