COVID-19: NO Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar This Week

DHHS' COVID-19 Website

Benchmarks' COVID-19 Updates and Resource Page

Updates and Announcements

Cancelled: Benchmarks will NOT be holding our Child Welfare Webinar this Thursday.

Benchmarks WILL be holding our Friday Membership Webinar.

Date: June 12, 2020

Time: 8:30 am

Join Meeting Here

This meeting will be recorded.

New Information Required in Applications for Individual Providers Enrolling in Medicaid and NC Health Choice

Effective July 26, 2020, changes will be made to initial enrollment, re-enrollment, re-verification applications and manage change requests (MCRs) for individual providers (excluding disaster relief and Out of State Lite providers). The updates include the addition of a new page, as well as additional exclusion sanction questions.

NCTracks is collecting this additional information to assist in streamlining the data collection process for providers and Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) to facilitate network eligibility determinations.

New information required for individual providers includes:

Highest level of education
Malpractice insurance (coverage type and amount)
Healthcare-related work history (past five years, and if there is more than six-month gap, explanation of gap)
Malpractice settlement history (past five years)
Any conditions that might impact ability to perform job duties

Additionally, individual providers completing the application will be required to physically sign and upload an Individual Agreement themselves; the office administrator (OA) cannot complete this for them. This will be accessible through two locations within the provider record, the Final Steps page and the Upload Documents page.

If insufficient information is provided by the individual or in NCTracks background verification, a request for supporting documentation will be sent to the provider. The Upload Documents page also allows the provider to upload any supporting documentation necessary.

Providers currently enrolled do not need not take any action. However, providers will be required to supply the new information at re-verification. In addition, certifications and accreditations can be added at any time using the MCR process.

Please note that due to the system changes, any enrollment, re-enrollment and re-verification applications that are in draft will be deleted on July 26, 2020 to allow for updates to the application process. Providers are encouraged to submit their drafts prior to this date or wait to begin their application until after implementation if their application deadline allows.

Information on upcoming training opportunities and resources (such as webinars, job aids, etc.) regarding these changes will be posted on the NCTracks website and communicated through email updates when available. Further information will be provided closer to the implementation date.

Free Webinar on Guidance for Dental Office Settings During the COVID-10 Response

To: All Dental Providers

Webinar: DHHS and AHEC Partnership - DHHS COVID-19 Guidance for Dental Professionals

Topic: OSHA and CDC Recommendations and Respiratory Guidance

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many North Carolina dental providers have questions about patient and staff safety. On Wednesday, June 10, from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Area Health Education Center (AHEC) will offer a free webinar on practice guidelines and respiratory protection especially designed to support dental providers. The webinar, DHHS COVID-19 Guidance for Dental Professionals: OSHA and CDC Recommendations and Respiratory Guidance, will feature Evelyn Cook, Associate Director of Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology (SPICE), Dr. Jessica Scott, Oral Health Coordinator with the Division of Public Health, NC Oral Health Section, and Darlene Baker, RDH, Lead Dental Policy Analyst with the NC Division of Health Benefits.

Link to join Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/96006597065

Call in Options: (312) 626-6799 or (646) 558-8656

Webinar ID: 960 0659 7065

New Medicaid Bulletin Available

The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published a new Medicaid Bulletin article dated June 9, 2020. All articles may be found on the DHB website.

Trastuzumab-dttb for Injection, for Intravenous Use (Ontruzant®) HCPCS Code Q5112: Billing Guidelines

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #96: Clinician and Laboratory Guidance Including Testing and Supplies

North Carolina is experiencing increased community transmission of COVID-19 in many areas of the state. Pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic spread is playing an important role. Updated clinician and laboratory testing guidance and a new resource on community testing are available.

NCDHHS Updates Guidance on Who Should Be Tested

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is releasing updated guidance for doctors and clinicians on who should be tested for COVID-19.

North Carolina is focused on rapidly increasing testing of people who may not currently have symptoms, but may have been exposed to COVID-19, especially people from historically marginalized populations who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. To support testing in populations being hit hardest by COVID-19, NCDHHS also has a new resource available, COVID-19 Community Testing in Historically Marginalized Populations: Best Practices .

The guidance recommends that clinicians conduct or arrange for diagnostic COVID-19 testing for:

Anyone with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.
Close contacts of known positive cases, regardless of symptoms.
The following groups are some of the populations with higher risk of exposure or a higher risk of severe disease if they become infected. People in these groups should get tested if they believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms.

People who live in or have regular contact with high-risk settings (e.g., long-term care facility, homeless shelter, correctional facility, migrant farmworker camp).
Historically marginalized populations who may be at higher risk for exposure.
Frontline and essential workers (grocery store clerks, gas station attendants, child care workers, construction sites, processing plants, etc.) in settings where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Health care workers or first responders (e.g. EMS, law enforcement, fire department, military).
People who are at high risk of severe illness (e.g., people over 65 years of age, people of any age with underlying health conditions).

People who have attended protests, rallies, or other mass gatherings could have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or could have exposed others. Testing should be considered for people who attended such events, particularly if they were in crowds or other situations where they couldn't practice effective social distancing.

North Carolina is experiencing increased community transmission of COVID-19. On Saturday, June 6. The state reported its highest one-day number of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,370 cases reported.

NCDHHS has new tools to help people know if they should consider being tested for COVID-19 and to find a nearby testing place.

Check My Symptoms ( www.ncdhhs.gov/symptoms), a public website that allows people to enter their symptoms to determine if they should consider getting tested for COVID-19. If a test is recommended, they will receive a link to a list of nearby testing sites via email or text.

Find My Testing Place (www.ncdhhs.gov/TestingPlace), a public website that allows people to enter their county or ZIP code and access a list of nearby testing site locations online.

To learn more about the COVID-19 response in North Carolina, visit nc.gov/covid19

Tailored Care Management Updates

In December 2019, DHHS released the draft Tailored Care Management Provider Manual and application questions for providers interested in becoming Advanced Medical Home Plus (AMH+) practices or Care Management Agencies (CMAs).

The Department received many thoughtful comments on the draft Provider Manual and has made several updates, reflected in the final Provider Manual and application questions. To see a consolidated summary of all the changes made, please see the Memo on Tailored Care Management Updates.

As a result of the Public Health Emergency COVID-19, the Tailored Care Management certification process has been suspended.

The manual is being published now to allow providers maximum time to understand requirements and begin preparing.
To ensure providers have enough time to prepare their applications once the certification process resumes, the Department will announce the revised certification timelines well in advance of the first application deadline.

For more information on Tailored Care Management, please visit the Department's Behavioral Health I/DD Tailored Plan webpage , and send any comments or questions to Medicaid.transformation@dhhs.nc.gov.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to ensure our North Carolina Medicaid beneficiaries receive the services and treatment they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Health Committee-June 10, 2020

Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH Secretary Department of Health and Human Services June 10, 2020

Powerpoint Presentation: COVID-19 Response Priorities

HHS Announces Enhanced Provider Portal, Relief Fund Payments for Safety Net Hospitals, Medicaid & CHIP Providers

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is announcing additional distributions from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. HHS expects to distribute approximately $15 billion to eligible providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and have not received a payment from the Provider Relief Fund General Allocation. HHS is also announcing the distribution of $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve our most vulnerable citizens. The safety net distribution will occur this week.

"Healthcare providers who focus on treating the most vulnerable Americans, including low-income and minority patients, are absolutely essential to our fight against COVID-19," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "HHS is using funds from Congress, secured by President Trump, to provide new targeted help for America's safety-net providers and clinicians who treat millions of Medicaid beneficiaries."

HHS is providing support to healthcare providers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through the bipartisan CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which allocated $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other healthcare providers, including those disproportionately impacted by this pandemic.

ENHANCED PROVIDER RELIEF FUND PORTAL

On Wednesday, HHS is launching an enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal that will allow eligible Medicaid and CHIP providers to report their annual patient revenue, which will be used as a factor in determining their Provider Relief Fund payment. The payment to each provider will be at least 2 percent of reported gross revenue from patient care; the final amount each provider receives will be determined after the data is submitted, including information about the number of Medicaid patients providers serve.

The initial General Distribution provided payments to approximately 62 percent of all providers participating in state Medicaid and CHIP programs. The Medicaid and CHIP Targeted distribution will make the Provider Relief Fund available to the remaining 38 percent. HHS has already provided relief funding to over one million providers, and today's announcement is expected to reach several hundred thousand more providers, many of whom are safety net providers operating on thin margins.

Clinicians that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs and/or Medicaid and CHIP managed care organizations who have not yet received General Distribution funding may submit their annual patient revenue information to the enhanced Provider Relief Fund Portal to receive a distribution equal to at least 2 percent of reported gross revenues from patient care. This funding will supply relief to Medicaid and CHIP providers experiencing lost revenues or increased expenses due to COVID-19. Examples of providers, serving Medicaid/CHIP beneficiaries, possibly eligible for this funding include pediatricians, obstetrician-gynecologists, dentists, opioid treatment and behavioral health providers, assisted living facilities and other home and community-based services providers.

To be eligible for this funding, health care providers must not have received payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution and either have directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services between January 1, 2018, to May 31, 2020. Close to one million health care providers may be eligible for this funding.

More information about eligibility and the application process is available at https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/general-information/index.html

$10 BILLION ALLOCATION FOR SAFETY NET HOSPITALS

HHS is announcing the distribution of $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds to safety net hospitals that serve our most vulnerable citizens, recognizing the incredibly thin margins these hospitals operate on. This payment is being sent directly to these hospitals via direct deposit.

This payment is going to hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of Medicaid patients or provide large amounts of uncompensated care. Qualifying hospitals will have:

A Medicare Disproportionate Payment Percentage (DPP) of 20.2 percent or greater;
Average Uncompensated Care per bed of $25,000 or more. For example, a hospital with 100 beds would need to provide $2,500,000 in Uncompensated Care in a year to meet this requirement;
Profitability of 3 percent or less, as reported to CMS in its most recently filed Cost Report.

Recipients will receive a minimum distribution of $5 million and a maximum distribution of $50 million.

ADDITIONAL PROVIDER RELIEF FUND UPDATES

On Monday, June 8, 2020, HHS sent communications to all hospitals asking them to update information on their COVID-19 positive-inpatient admissions for the period January 1, 2020, through June 10, 2020. This information will be used to determine a second round of funding to hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots to ensure they are equitably supported in the battle against this pandemic. To determine their eligibility for funding under this $10 billion distribution, hospitals must submit their information by June 15, 2020 at 9:00 PM ET.
HHS is working on an additional allocation to distribute relief broadly to dentists.

For updated information and data on the Provider Relief Fund, visit hhs.gov/providerrelief

HUD Announces New Grants for Foster Youth to Independence Program, Bringing Total to Over 600 Vouchers Since Inception
Nine States to Receive Nearly $100,000 in Vouchers

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced nearly $100,000 in the most recent round of grants for HUD's Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative. Since the initiative was launched in June of 2019, 26 states have received FYI funding, equating to 654 individual vouchers, totaling over $5.4 million in funds to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are in, or have recently left, the foster care system without a home to go to.

"In under one year since its launch, the FYI program has awarded more than 600 vouchers to 26 states across the country. In other words, this program has impacted the lives of 600 plus young people, not only giving them a home of their own, but providing them with the tools to be self-sufficient and achieve their dreams. Today's announcement of nearly $100,000 continues the momentum of this powerful initiative for the young men and women who will shape our nation's future," said Secretary Carson.

HUD's Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative is an initiative that provides housing assistance and supportive services to young people with a child welfare history who are at-risk-of or experiencing homelessness. FYI, in conglomeration with local resources, will assist communities in ensuring that every young person who has had experience with the child welfare system has access to safe, affordable housing where they are supported to reach self-sufficiency by working toward their education and employment goals.

"To date, we have now awarded over 600 vouchers for this crucial, new program," said R. Hunter Kurtz, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. "I'm proud that we are helping one of our most vulnerable populations have a roof over their head during these tough times."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year. The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) estimates that approximately 25 percent of these young people experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care and an even higher share are precariously housed. HUD's Foster Youth Initiative housing vouchers will go to public housing authorities that do not participate in HUD's Family Unification Program. To be eligible for FYI funding, public housing authorities must:

Administer a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program;
Enter into a partnership agreement with a Public Child Welfare Agency (PCWA);
Accept young people referred by their partnering PCWA; and
Determine that the referred youth are eligible for HCV assistance.