Benchmarks' Upcoming Webinars

Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar: 

Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod

Date: Friday, September 16, 2022

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Register

Benchmarks' Membership Webinar with PHPs: Wellcare

Date:  Friday, October 7, 2022

Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Register

Benchmarks' Collection of Past Updates

NC DSS DCDL:  Community Resiliency Model Free Workshops for Foster Care Staff and Resource Parents

The Foster Family Alliance and Healthy Blue Initiative are collaborating to host introduction workshops in September 2022 for staff working with children, youth, and families in foster care and 90-minute workshops for foster/kinship/resource parents in October 2022 to learn the internationally used, biologically-based wellness skill model called the Community Resiliency Model® (CRM®). The model teaches skills and concepts to recognize and manage stress by resetting and stabilizing the nervous system. Workshop participants will learn skills to help before, during, and after stressful events and experiences as well as skills to manage activities of daily living at home and in the workplace. Workshop participants can easily share these skills with their social networks.

The workshop for professionals will take place on Friday, September 16 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm and Friday, September 23 from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. The purpose of the workshop for professionals is to learn the foundational concepts of CRM®. The workshop is available at no cost for professionals or their organization. A flyer for registration is attached.

The workshops for foster/kinship/resource parents will be Thursday, October 6 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. and Thursday, October 13 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

• Read Here
• FFA & HBI CRM Workshop for Foster Parents
• FFA & HBI CRM Workshop for Professionals
• Sign up for FFA emails and announcements

NCDHHS Sends Tailored Plan Enrollment Notices to Beneficiaries

On Aug. 15, 2022, eligible beneficiaries were automatically enrolled in one of six Behavioral Health I/DD Tailored Plans in anticipation of the program launch on Dec. 1, 2022. Until then, beneficiaries will continue receiving behavioral health, I/DD, substance use and traumatic brain injury (TBI) services as they do today.

The NC Medicaid Enrollment Broker is mailing notices this week to the beneficiaries who were automatically enrolled, and to those who have the option to enroll with a Tailored Plan. Notices are also being sent to beneficiaries’ authorized representatives.

The notices provide details about Tailored Plan enrollment, including:

•      Name of the Tailored Plan in which the eligible beneficiary was enrolled and its Member and Recipient Services phone number

•      Reminder that Tailored Plan benefits will begin Dec. 1, 2022

•      Other available health care options for each beneficiary, as applicable

•      How to select a primary care provider (PCP) and Tailored Care Management provider

•      Contact information for the Enrollment Broker, which can provide choice counseling and make enrollment changes

A reminder to select a PCP and Tailored Care Management provider will be mailed in September. Beneficiaries with questions can contact the Medicaid Enrollment Broker at 1-833-870-5500 or visit ncmedicaidplans.gov.

For more information on Tailored Plan enrollment, refer to the Tailored Plan Auto-enrollment and Choice Period fact sheet. Sample notices are on the NC Medicaid website under Beneficiary Notices – Enrollment Packet.

Clinical Coverage Policy 8B- Inpatient Behavioral Health Services 15 day public comment posting

Clinical coverage policy 8B- Inpatient Behavioral Health Services has posted for an additional 15 day public comment. You can find the revised copy here https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/media/11891/download?attachment

This policy will be open for public comment until September 16, 2022. You will find the instructions regarding how to provide feedback on the site listed above.

Please share this information with others that would be interested in providing feedback on this policy.

Recovery Community Center Funding:  Learn More

North Carolina Innovations Supported Living Survey

On behalf of NC Medicaid Innovations Waiver Stakeholders and Community Advocates, we would like to learn how Innovations Supported Living Services are working for you.

If you currently use Innovations Supported Living Services, please click the following link and complete our short survey by Sept. 30, 2022.

Take Survey Here

Joint Communication Bulletins

Joint Communication Bulletin #J430 - Resuming of Provider Monitoring by LME-MCOs

As Aug. 15, 2022 was the end of the State of Emergency to Coordinate Response and Protective Actions to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19, LME/MCOs should resume conducting reviews of providers, including desk reviews and site reviews. If you have any questions regarding this communication, please contact Greg Daniels at 919-527-7650 or [email protected]. DHHS thanks you for your assistance regarding this matter. 

Read Here

Joint Communication Bulletin #J431 - Update to TMACT Process

This bulletin amends Joint Communication Bulletin #J393, distributed May 17, 2021, regarding the timeline and process for TMACT fidelity evaluations and highlights recent updates to the fidelity evaluation process.

The updates will:

• Reduce the amount of time the fidelity evaluators spend on-site with providers;
• Transition to the electronic fidelity evaluation program (eTMACT) which is a secure webbased software as a service (SaaS) designed to expediate the fidelity evaluation process and enhance rater accuracy and reliability; and
• Allow for a more careful review of the documentation submitted in advance of the on-site visit through a remote chart review.

The specific changes made to the fidelity evaluation process include:

• The amount of time spent on-site for the fidelity evaluation has been reduced from two full days to one and a half days.
• Teams are now required to submit pre-visit data and documentation into the eTMACT Provider Portal no later than two weeks prior to the on-site fidelity evaluation.
• The on-site chart review will now be conducted remotely.
• This will be held prior to the on-site evaluation.
• The orientation letter that the provider receives will include instructions on how to submit chart data through a HIPAA secure folder.
• The deadline for submitting chart data will be no later than five business days prior to the on-site fidelity evaluation.
• The team will be responsible for deleting access to the secure folder following the fidelity evaluation.
• A virtual debriefing session will be held following the receipt of the finalized evaluation report to provide feedback on strengths and recommendations for future training and improvement. 

For fidelity evaluations to be completed in a timely and accurate manner, fidelity evaluators must have access to data both prior to, and if requested, after the on-site fidelity evaluation. Where noted, timelines involving days are business days as opposed to calendar days. It is expected that LME/MCOs and ACT providers adhere to this timeline:  

Read More Here

JCB #432-Update to Individual Placement & Support Fidelity Evaluations

This bulletin amends Joint Communication Bulletin #J235 distributed Feb 14, 2017, and Joint Communication Bulletin #J309 distributed on Oct 18, 2018, regarding the timeline and process for Individual Placement Support (IPS) fidelity evaluations. This bulletin highlights recent updates to the fidelity evaluation process.

The updates will:

• Reduce the amount of time the fidelity evaluators spend on-site with providers.
• Allow for a more careful review of the documentation submitted in advance of the on-site evaluation through a remote chart review.

The specific changes made to the fidelity evaluation process include:

• The amount of time spent on-site for the fidelity evaluation has been reduced from two full on-site days to one full day on-site and one full day conducted remotely via a secure virtual platform. These days will be consecutive. The full day conducted remotely will include virtual interviews and observations.
• The chart review for the fidelity evaluation will be conducted remotely via a secure virtual platform.
• This will be completed one week prior to the on-site evaluation.
• The orientation letter that the provider receives will include instructions on how to submit chart data through a HIPAA secure folder.
• The deadline for submitting chart data will be 3 days prior to the remote chart review. o The IPS team will be responsible for deleting access to the secure folder following the evaluation.
• A virtual debriefing session will be held following the receipt of the finalized report to provide feedback on strengths and recommendations for future training and improvement. 

Read More Here

The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published new

Medicaid Bulletin articles:  

• Tailored Plan Panel Membership
•  Panel Management for Advanced Medical Homes in Standard Plans
•  Gallium Ga 68 Gozetotide Injection Kits, for Intravenous Use (Illuccix®) HCPCS Code A9596: Billing Guidelines
• Tailored Care Management Updates - Aug. 29, 2022
•  Provider Requirements related to Billing Medicaid Beneficiaries
• Prior Approvals for Out of State Services Changes
• NC Medicaid Home Health Electronic Verification: Correction Notice
• Home Health Electronic Visit Verification: Provider Updates

Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.

This issue of CBX highlights kinship care and how placing children in need of out-of-home care with relatives can help them maintain connections to family, community, and culture. This month's message from Associate Commissioner Aysha E. Schomburg features the lived experience of a kinship caregiver that addresses the importance of providing support to families who take in the children of relatives. This issue also includes valuable resources for professionals and the families they serve.

Read Here

September is Kinship Care Awareness month and to celebrate the Kinship Committee is hosting a webinar to recognize exciting kinship work being done. Our focus for this webinar will be to highlight the innovative practices taking place to enhance kinship work through partnerships between public, private and educational institutions. You will hear the perspectives from two universities that are advancing the knowledge and practice of child welfare professionals in their states. Two Continuing Education Credits are available. 

Please join us for this informative event!    

Date: September 19     

Time: 1-3pm ET  

Cost: Free

Webinar Registration - Zoom

This September 2021, please join CWLA for a special recognition of all the relatives, extended family members, and tribes and clans who provide round-the-clock protecting and nurturing for children, either through informal family arrangements or child protective services. Nearly three million kinship caregivers across the country provide safety, support, cultural ties, and affection for the children in their care. Unique family circumstances cause stress for relatives, parents, and children including health and mental health challenges, financial and other burdens. Yet kinship families — grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and non-related extended family members — prevail. Let’s use Kinship Care Month to recognize their dedication!  

Just as families have histories, CWLA has a kinship care history, too. This year marks CWLA’s three decades of caring, collaborating, and advocacy on behalf of kinship caregiving families. We look forward to honoring Kinship Care in multiple ways this September. We will be posting on our website a Timeline of our kinship care endeavors and hope you will do the same. Also, look for an article in the upcoming issue of Children’s Voice magazine describing CWLA’s policy, program, and practice contributions to the field for kinship care which identifies resources that may be of interest. 

CWLA especially wants to recognize your support of kinship caregivers. Please send in photos, videos, or quotes which will be collected and posted on CWLA’s website in celebration of Kinship Care Month. You can submit a .jpg image or MP4 file to Samantha Carter at [email protected]. The deadline to submit is Monday, August 30.

And because we should be recognizing and supporting kinship caregiving families every month, in October we will be offering a special Open Enrollment training for agency staff to learn CWLA’s Traditions of Caring and Collaborating Trauma Informed Model of Practice for Kinship Family Information, Support, and Assessment. The training announcement will be released soon.

CWLA has additional valuable kinship care publications which you can find in our online Bookstore inlcuding: “Kinship Care and Child Welfare: New Directions for Policy and Practice,” a special double issue of Child Welfare, Journal of Policy, Practice, and Program, focusing on kinship families and the successes and challenges they experience, with a view toward assuring a comprehensive system of kinship care that is inclusive of all such families.

Please also see Reflections on Kinship Care: Learning from the Past, Implications for the Future in which kinship care leaders share their own personal and professional experiences and perspectives to highlight practice values, legislation and policy, research, support, and advocacy for kinship caregivers.

Read Here

We are pleased to invite you to join a new initiative focused on strengthening the direct care workforce caring for older adults and people living with disabilities in North Carolina. The name of the initiative is Workforce Engagement with Care Workers to Assist, Recognize and Educate (WECARE). This initiative is being led by the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy in formal partnership with the NC Coalition on Aging, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NC Chapter), Appalachian State University, and PHI—and is funded by the Money Follows the Person program (under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid).

Specifically, using a “collective impact” framework (which means bringing together the expertise of key community members and groups around a common agenda), this initiative aims to develop and test a training, credentialing, and job quality model for direct care workers in home and community-services (HCBS) in our state. 

To learn more about this initiative and how you can participate, please join ONE of our two identical kickoff meetings on Monday, September 26 from 10-11AM or Thursday, September 29 4-5PM. Please RSVP at this link: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8joMrVkqIIU9WiW Zoom link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/5761776884

Be Aware of Blackmail and Sextortion Schemes

Federal law enforcement agencies are alerting parents about an important issue impacting children: sextortion schemes. Sextortion occurs when a person contacts a minor online, often on gaming systems, apps, or social media.

Predators pose as young people and manipulate their targets into sending intimate photos or engaging in sexually explicit activity over video. When the predator obtains this material, they then threaten to send the photos or videos to the victim’s friends or family unless the victim pays a ransom or produces more material. Sometimes, a scammer will contact their victim and claim they have photos and videos that don’t exist – all to scare kids into sending money anyway. These predators often have multiple victims, which makes it even more important that people report these scams and crimes. Stopping one predator could prevent a host of kids from being targeted. 

Monitor your child’s social media use and make sure they know not to communicate with people whose identities you haven’t verified. If someone contacts you or your child and demands money in exchange for not releasing your photos or videos, contact your local FBI field office at 1-800-CALL-FBI or report it online at tips.fbi.gov.  

And when they’re online, make sure your kids know: 

• Be selective about what is posted or shared online. Sextortion scammers may gather personal information from public posts to use that information against their targets.
• Do not send explicit photos or videos via text or through the internet.
• Stop all contact with a stranger if you suspect they are a scammer.
• Speak up if you or your child believe you have been contacted by a sextortion scammer.
• If you believe that you have been the victim of a financial scam, contact our office’s Consumer Protection Division at ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

ABLE Accounts Can Help People With Disabilities Save Tax-Free

These little-known plans let some individuals save money while still preserving their benefits

People with disabilities face huge financial challenges. Yet for years, they could not save money, or even work part-time, without endangering their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or other means-tested benefits.

There is an option, though too few people are taking advantage of it. The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account, a low-cost, easy-to-access plan began rolling out in 2016 and is available nationwide.

Modeled after 529 college savings programs and offered by individual states, ABLE accounts let children or adults with disabilities incurred before age 26 accumulate savings tax-free—for most, you can save as much as $100,000—without endangering such benefits. Some states offer tax breaks on contributions. Anyone, including the beneficiary, can put money in these accounts, up the limit.

Read Here

New Annual Research on the Direct Care Workforce

New research on direct care workers depicts an essential, growing workforce that continues to struggle with economic hardship.

5 Direct Care Workforce Resources from 2022

Knowledge is power—so here are five direct care workforce resources from PHI you might have missed in 2022.

New Report on Data Collection in Direct Care

A new report describes how centering direct care workers in workforce data systems can strengthen this workforce

Announcing a CMS Virtual Listening Session with Health Care Providers and Suppliers on Emergency Preparedness

WHAT: Virtual listening session with health care providers and suppliers on emergency preparedness. Note: Due to an overwhelming interest in this session, we have increased capacity from 150 to 450 registrants, but we ask that registration be limited to those who plan to provide input and that the number of registrants per organization be limited. Refer to the “How to Join” section below to register.  

WHEN: Tuesday, September 13, 2022, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET.

WHO: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards & Quality (CCSQ), Clinical Standards Group (CSG).

TOPIC: CMS is looking to gather information from health care providers and suppliers on their experiences providing support during public health emergencies outside of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The input and lessons-learned from this session will be used to evaluate CMS regulations regarding emergency preparedness for certain health care providers. CMS is especially interested in hearing input on these questions:

1. What have been your facility’s experiences in developing and implementing emergency preparedness plans under the CMS regulations? Do the current CMS emergency preparedness regulations create any unintended barriers in your work? If so, what are they?
2. What resources does your facility use to inform emergency preparedness plans under the CMS regulations? What additional resources could you use as you update your plans?
3. How does your facility “stand down” or “recover” after emergency events? How long does this process take, and does it interrupt services for patients? Does your process include any type of “failure analysis” or other assessment that helps to identify and correct any issues experienced during an emergency?
4. NEW Question: During emergencies, including the COVID-19 PHE, CMS has used a combination of emergency waivers, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance to offer health care providers the flexibility needed to respond. In certain cases, these flexibilities suspended requirements in order to address acute and extraordinary circumstances. What specific flexibilities, if any, have been most helpful? Least helpful?

This session is the second in a multi-part series being held on emergency preparedness. While this second session is geared toward health care providers and suppliers, other sessions seek information and feedback from State and Local emergency response entities and individual staff members. Questions will vary by session.

Prior to the listening session, you are encouraged to review the following rules as background:

• Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers
• Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulatory Provisions To Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction; Fire Safety Requirements for Certain Dialysis Facilities; Hospital and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Changes To Promote Innovation, Flexibility, and Improvement in Patient Care 

HOW TO JOIN: Please register HERE with your name, email, zip code, state, and organization name and type. Due to an overwhelming interest in this session, we have increased capacity to 450 registrants; however, registration will be closed once we reach this number. We encourage registration as soon as possible and ask that registrants be limited to each organization's leadership and/or subject matter experts who are knowledgeable and willing to provide feedback on the topics to be discussed.

Note: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session. Instructions for manually adding an invite to your calendar will be included.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Hear. Share. Act!  Reich College of Education Building, 151 College Street, Boone, NC 28608 

Time: 9:30 am thru 12:30 pm

Register

Monday, September 12, 2022

Money Follows The Person (MFP) Lunch & Learn: Special Assistance, Special Assistance In-Home

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

Register

New:  Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Special FREE Virtual Event From The Whole-Person Care Headquarters Community, NextGen Healthcare & OPEN MINDS

Join us as we perform a deep dive into a case study example of how to improve upon your practice management system by Daymark Recovery Services in North Carolina: A Robust Practice Management System: Your Key To Success on September 13, 2022 at 1:00 pm ET.

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

Learn More & Register

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Kinship Families Affected by Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:30 pm

Register

New: Thursday, September 15, 2022

America’s Growing Drug Overdose Crisis 

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

Register

New:  Thursday, September 15, 2022

Tailored Plan 101: Ready, Set, Launch Series

Time: 5:30 pm thru 6:45 pm

Register

Friday, September 16, 2022

Dave Richard Joins Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Register

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Hear. Share. Act!  Unity Church, 4301 South Charles Boulevard, Greenville, NC 27858 

Time: 9:30 am thru 12:30 pm

Register

New:  Monday, September 19, 2022

Sexual Safety Strategies & Resources for People with I/DD

(In-Person & Zoom)

Time: 6:00 pm thru 8:00 pm

• In-Person - First Baptist Church I 606 N. Walnut Street I Lumberton, NC 28358
• ZOOM - For Zoom Attendance, email [email protected] or call 910-739-6278 

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Competitive Integrated Employment Series

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

Join Here

New: Wednesday & Thursday, September 28 & 29, 2022

In-Person:  Child and Family Team Training from the Family Perspective – Revised 

Time: 9:00 am thru 4:00 pm

Register 

New: Thursday, September 29, 2022

SUPPORTING FAMILIES: Back to School Q&A-Getting Ahead of Challenging Behavior

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

Register

New:  Thursday, September 29, 2022

How Using Contingency Management Can Support

Families Affected by Substance Use Disorders

Time: 1:30 pm thru 3:00 pm

Join Here

New:  Friday, October 7, 2022

Benchmarks' Membership Webinar with PHPs: Wellcare

Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Register

New: Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Leveraging Your EHR to Accommodate the “No Surprises Act”

Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

Register

New: Monday, October 24, 2022

North Carolina Medicare-Medicaid Integration: Advancing Whole-Person Care

Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm

Register