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Tomorrow
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Karen McLeod, Benchmarks & Leza Wainwright, Trillium
Date: Friday, November 20, 2020
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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Medicaid Managed Care Provider Update
An update has been published in the NC Medicaid Bulletin for providers with additional information on North Carolina's transition to Medicaid Managed Care. On July 1, 2021, an estimated 1.6 to 1.8 million Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries will transition to Medicaid Managed Care. Beneficiaries will be able to choose from five Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Tribal Option. Some beneficiaries will stay in fee-for-service known as NC Medicaid Direct.
This provider update includes:
- Links to sign up for one webinar series specifically for Medicaid Managed Care going live on July 1, 2021, and another that focuses on Quality and Performance on clinical criteria
- How to ensure provider information displays correctly in NC's Provider Directory Tool
- Provider Ombudsman contact information
- PHP Provider Manual updates
- Key dates for transitioning to Medicaid Managed Care
Additional information for providers transitioning to Medicaid Managed Care will be published in future Medicaid bulletins.
Behavioral Health and I/DD Townhall
North Carolina's public Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) System is undergoing major changes. We want to hear from our consumers, families and advocates about how the system is working and how we can assist in creating a system that improves health outcomes and promotes recovery for all North Carolinians. UNC-TV and the Governor's Institute will be hosting a virtual Town Hall meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 6-8pm to talk about changes and gather feedback from stakeholders in their specific local management entities/managed care organizations (LME/MCO).
Deputy Secretary Kinsley, Director Armstrong and Vaya Health CEO Brian Ingraham will present during this Town Hall. The Town Hall will also feature a conversation NC House of Representatives and Labor Commissioner-elect Josh Dobson.
We want to include your questions at the end of the webinar. You can post your questions in the live chat during the webinar or you can record a video message beforehand and upload the video file to a OneDrive folder we have set up for the meeting. You can also email your questions to Suzanne.thompson@dhhs.nc.gov, please include the LME/MCO in the subject line. To upload your video questions, go to
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New Medicaid Bulletins Available as of Nov. 17, 2020
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published new Medicaid Bulletin articles:
***Legislation Gives Certain Providers More Time to Connect to NC HealthConnex
This bulletin provides important information regarding changes in the law concerning connection deadlines to NC HealthConnex, the state-designated health information exchange. It also describes a "Hardship Extension Process" coordinated by DHHS. Learn more
Advanced Medical Home Webinar Series Begins December 10
A new Medicaid Managed Care webinar series on the Advanced Medical Home (AMH) program will begin Dec. 10, 2020. Details
Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.
Required Provider Agency Survey: Electronic Visit Verification
This announcement applies to Personal Care Service and Community Alternatives Program (CAP/C and CAP/DA) Providers
All providers for NC Medicaid State Plan Personal Care Services (PCS) and Community Alternatives Program (CAP) are required to complete a secure survey regarding Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) by Nov. 30, 2020.
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2019 BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT DATA SHOW DIGITAL DIVIDE IS CLOSING
Nov 12, 2020 -- The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Office of Economics and Analytics released data showing that the digital divide is closing, with the number of rural Americans living in areas with 250/25 Mbps broadband service increasing by 268 percent. Discusses how Phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction will continue to expand broadband access across rural America.
Read More
State Offices of Rural Health Helping the Fight Against the COVID-19 Pandemic
Describes ways State Offices of Rural Health are addressing COVID-19, such as helping establish rural clinics for future vaccination sites, providing healthcare providers with training and equipment, and more. Includes examples from North Carolina, Kentucky, North Dakota, New Jersey, and Texas.
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In honor of CWLA's 100th anniversary this year, we are pleased to share the new publication, Reflections on Child Welfare Areas of Practice, Issues and Service Populations: Sociological Autobiographies. This collection - the first in a multi-part series - includes personal reflections on child welfare practice and policy by leaders in the field. These essays offer insights and discuss major policy developments, reflections on changes in practice over the years, and where we are today related to selected child welfare areas of practice, program, policy, issues, and services to selected populations. Contributors discuss changes in the external environment or in family structure that contribute to children entering the child welfare system; changes in knowledge, policies and funding that impact how children and families are served; and more; and connect their work to the tenets of CWLA's National Blueprint for Excellence in Child Welfare.
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Displaying Patient Photos in Electronic Health Records Reduces Hospital Order Errors
Adding patients' photographs to the banner of electronic health records (EHRs) enhanced patient identification and significantly reduced wrong-patient order errors in a hospital emergency department, according to an AHRQ-funded study in JAMA Network Open. Researchers evaluated more than 2.5 million nursing, medication, diagnostic and other orders for about 72,000 hospital patients. They used the rate of retract-and-reorder events as the outcome measure and noted that this rate was 186 per 100,000 orders for patients with no photograph in their EHRs and 133 per 100,000 orders for patients with photographs. Unlike previous interventions that interrupt clinicians, this solution did not add to practitioners' time burden or risk of alert fatigue, according to researchers. Access the abstract
More Than Half of Private-Sector Employees Enrolled in High-Deductible Health Plans
About 55 percent of private-sector workers who received single-coverage health insurance in 2019 were enrolled in high-deductible plans, according to a new chartbook from AHRQ. The percentage of employees in high-deductible plans has grown steadily since 2006, when only about 11 percent of private-sector workers with single coverage were in such plans. These findings are in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component 2019 Chartbook, which presents results from AHRQ's annual survey of private-sector employers. The chartbook presents national and state-level estimates of employer-sponsored insurance, including offered plans, costs, employee eligibility, and number of enrollees. New findings quantify increases in the percentage of employees working at establishments where insurance was offered, as well as employees' share of premiums and deductible amounts. Access the chartbook and an interactive data visualization tool that allows users to explore data on employee cost sharing, including geographic variations.
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Facilitation for Choice and Control: Person-Centered Planning's Best Kept Secret
October 29 ACL funded HSRI NCAPPS webinar slides
Telemedicine Barriers and Challenges for Persons with Disabilities: COVID-19 and Beyond
November 3 Disability and Health Journal announced article; there is a fee for the entire article
Medicaid Home-and-Community-Based Services - Innovations During COVID-19" Payers and Providers
November 12 ACL and CMS webinar slides
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With the end of the year just around the corner, many employers may be contemplating giving year-end bonuses to their non-exempt employees. And bonuses, year-end or otherwise, can create problems for employers when it comes to calculating overtime compensation for those employees.
One mistake some employers make concerns calculating an employee's regular rate for purposes of paying overtime premiums. Indeed, many employers have found truth in the adage "no good deed goes unpunished" after implementing bonus policies or issuing other forms of compensation intended to reward employees, only to later discover that those payments had the unintended effect of increasing their employees' regular rate and, thus, the overtime premiums that those employees should have received.
2021 Cost of Living Adjustments
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2021 cost of living adjustments (COLA) to various limits. The adjusted amounts generally apply for plan years beginning in 2021. Some of the adjusted amounts, however, apply to calendar year 2021.
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Upcoming Events
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New: Thursday, November 19, 2020
Clinical Quality Webinar Series: Women's Health
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Thursday, November 19, 2020
Celebrating Adoption Awareness Month
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Tomorrow: Friday, November 20, 2020
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar w/Leza Wainwright, CEO Trillium
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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New: Monday, November 23, 2020
The American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine offers a free online training series for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants that satisfies some of the requirements to obtain a Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) waiver for prescribing buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Caring for the Caregiver
Keeping Your Tank Full While Caring for Others
Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
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New: Monday, November 30, 2020 & Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Alcohol Across the Lifespan: 50 Years of Evidence-Based Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment Research
Day 1: November 30, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET
Day 2: December 1, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET
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New: Wednesday, December 2, 2020
A Multigenerational Approach to Prevention & Treatment of SUDs
Through both environmental and genetic factors, substance use disorders frequently perpetuate from one generation to another within families. Treating individuals struggling with a substance use disorder in isolation often represents a missed opportunity to provide both treatment and preventive measures for others in their family who have been directly impacted by, are at risk for or also struggle with a substance use disorder.
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Wednesday, December 2, 2020
The Collaborative Care Model: A Proven Approach for Integrating Physical and Behavioral Health Care
Collaborative care programs are a proven approach to integration in which primary care providers, care managers, and psychiatric/behavioral health consultants work together to provide team-based care and monitor patients' progress. The model provides the platform for a range of targeted behavioral health services such as brief psychosocial treatments; pharmacotherapies for substance use (medication-assisted treatment) and mental disorders; Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); and patient education.
Time: 3:00 pm thu 4:00 pm
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Thursday, December 3, 2020
Black Foster Youth Handbook
Time: 7:00 pm
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New: Thursday, December 3, 2020
Strategies to Support Clients with Increased Stress and Substance Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Time: 1:00 pm
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New: Thursday, December 10, 2020
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar with Lisa Cauley, NC-DSS
Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
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Friday, December 11, 2020
Medical Care Advisory Committee (MCAC) Quarterly Meeting
Time: 10:30 am thru 12:30 pm
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New: Friday, December 11, 2020
NCDHHS Supported Living Level 2 & 3 STAKEHOLDERS MEETING
Time: 1:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
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Friday, December 11, 2020
Ethics, COVID-19 & Telehealth: Part 1
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
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Thursday, December 13, 2020
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Webinar Series-Beneficiary Attribution
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Thursday, December 17, 2020
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-Behavioral Health
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Thursday, January 7, 2021
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Webinar Series-Policy Approvals, Process Changes & Appeals
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Friday: January 8, 2021
Dave Richard Joins Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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Thursday, January 21, 2021
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-TBD
Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
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Please click on each of the following links to view details sent out from each LME/MCO.
Benchmarks' wants to be sure to make the following list handy for our members to visit and suggests a peek at least once per week to find information that may be pertinent to your agency and contracts.
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