There was a moment in this Long Session of the NC General Assembly when it appeared there may not be a budget...But the Senate did finally present and quickly pass their proposed budget in late June and the House took some time before publishing their version on August 9th.
Medicaid expansion was not a part of either the Senate or House proposal. But they did include provisions that would extend Medicaid eligibility for specific populations.
North Carolina’s move to establish a Medicaid system that provides for integrated, whole person physical and MH/IDD/SUD care as well as opportunities to address non-medical drivers of health/social determinants of health finally began on July 1...
For many stakeholders within the public health and human services system, the move to Medicaid managed care is not as much about the bottom line as it is about the opportunity to improve coordination, seamlessness and outcomes for the users of the system and their families.
BH/IDD Tailored Plan Contracts Awarded and Potential PHP Partners
NC DHHS announced on July 26th that all seven of the current LME/MCOs received the awards to become BH/IDD Tailored Plans beginning on July 1, 2022. This will shift to six Tailored Plans assuming the merger between Cardinal Innovations and Vaya Health progress as well as the other county disengagements that are underway. In this interim one-year period, Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible for a Tailored Plan will receive physical health services through Medicaid Direct and BH/IDD services through the LME/MCOs.
As a part of the responses to the Request for Application (RFA), each LME/MCO provided the name of a Standard Plan (PHP) with which they intend to partner to provide integrated physical, BH, IDD, SUD care.
There has been much discussion and action in the past year related to the Cardinal Innovations counties that are no longer satisfied with their service management that will bring major changes to the catchment areas of a number of LME/MCOs.. Before a county can disengage from their LME/MCO, there are regulatory requirements that provide timelines and steps that must first occur. Click here to look at those regulations. Here’s what we know about potential changes at the time of this writing:
Home and Community-Based Services Get Federal and State Attention
By federal definition, Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in North Carolina include the Medicaid waiver programs of Innovations, Community Alternatives Program – Disabled Adults (CAP-DA) and Community Alternatives Program – Children (CAP-C). Despite having these focused programs in North Carolina, according to the NC Waiver Action Team, the average wait time in our state is 9.5 years for waiver services as compared to an national average wait time of 3 years. President Biden made a commitment to focus on this issue and the result is the introduction of the Better Care Better Jobs Act in both the House of Representatives as HR 4131 and the Senate as S 2210. The NC General Assembly has also taken action within their budget proposals to address some of the outstanding issues.
i2i Center Partners with FHLI on Duke Endowment Grant to Improve and Advocate for Behavioral Health Needs of NC’s Children and Adolescents
i2i will partner with the Center of Excellence for Integrated Care (COE), a program of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation (FHLI), on a grant from The Duke Endowment. The grant will allow FHLI to lead a three-year program focused on child and adolescent behavioral health. The emphasis of the project is on advocacy for mental health check-ups for children, as well as on training for behavioral health professionals to provide pediatric and family assessments and interventions.
Transformation the Focus of Virtual Spring Conference
i2i was able to adapt to the current environment and completed its second virtual conference on June 14-15th with the Spring Conference, 3 Cs of Transformation – Connect, Communicate, Collaborate. The overarching goal of this event was to prepare attendees for the impending start of Medicaid managed care on July 1.
Over 30 sessions led by state and national experts on a wide variety of topics were key to the success of the event for the almost 300 attendees and participating vendors. Here are clips from several sessions.
At this year’s Pinehurst Conference, we will once again take the opportunity to highlight some of the great programs and services going on in NC with the presentation of the 2021 Innovation Awards. We have adapted and updated some of the categories to better reflect today’s circumstances and to focus on areas of importance. In 2020, the Innovation awards focus was on 2020’s Challenges.
Promise Resource Network (PRN) Opens Peer Run Respite Program in Charlotte
This month Promise Resource Network celebrated the opening of its new Peer Run Respite - Retreat@The Plaza a new trauma informed alternative to hospitals, emergency departments and involuntary commitment for people experiencing mental health crises in Charlotte.
Charlyne Boyette attended NC TIDES. She wears many hats in the mental health system, but her full-time job is Director of Peer Led Initiatives at Promise Resource Network where she leads a 24/7 non-crisis peer support warm line (1-833-390-7728). She serves as Chairperson of Peer Justice Initiative, an Olmstead Evaluator, and NCASPPB Certified Clinical Supervisor Intern through Healing Connections, LLC.
Survey Request - Leadership Fellows Academy is seeking feedback on employers' and other stakeholders' current understanding of Peer Workers in NC to aid in the development of materials to increase awareness.
