Cancelled:  Benchmarks' Thursday Child Welfare Webinar
(Tomorrow)

Note:  We expect to hold this meeting next week, if there is new information to share and will keep you posted!

Requesting PPE
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has become one of the largest needs across our state during the COVID-19 pandemic. NCDHHS and the NC Department of Public Safety understand organizations across North Carolina are in need of PPE and state government is actively working to help get PPE to those who need it.
State leadership has put together a process for fulfillment of requests for PPE. In developing this process, the state is trying to make sure that those at highest risk of severe clinical disease and workers delivering emergent life-saving services are receiving the PPE they need. This process addresses three groups of prioritization for receiving PPE. In order of priority, those groups are: 
  • Group 1: Acute and Long-Term Care 
  • Group 2: Congregate Care Settings and Health Care/First Responder Agencies 
  • Group 3: Non-Health Care Entities.  
Summary of the Governor and Secretary's COVID-19 Press Briefing 
Secretary Cohen's Remarks
Thank you, Governor.  May is Mental Health Awareness month and an important reminder that we need to think about whole health - not just physical health - as we confront this pandemic. We've all done a great job protecting our families and neighbors and slowing the spread of COVID-19.  But in taking those important steps we have had to change the way we live in significant ways that were hard to imagine just a few months ago. We've had to stay physically apart from people and stop many of the activities that may have brought us joy. Some of us are newly out of work and others have lost family members or friends to this virus.  Not to mention that the pandemic itself it can prompt fear, depression, and anxiety.
 
One way to navigate this challenging time is to find new - or in some cases old - ways to connect with people.  Call or use video chats to connect with friends and loved ones.  
 
Get outside. Exercise if you can. In phase 1 we are seeing more parks open which is a great opportunity to enjoy a hike or bike ride. Although, remember if you are going to be around other people, wear a face covering.
 
For those that may need help managing their mental health, please contact your mental health provider or an expert. If you don't have one, start by reaching out to your primary care provider as a first step. There are additional resources on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website at covid19.ncdhhs.gov  - including for Medicaid beneficiaries and those without insurance.
 
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network also offers advice on how to communicate with kids of all ages about COVID-19, what to watch for in reactions from our kids, how to offer them help, and tips on approaching periods of social distancing.
 
We also have an important helpline, Hope4NC (1-855-587-3463) which connects North Carolinians to additional mental health and resilience supports that help them cope and build resilience during times of crisis. It's now available to everyone in North Carolina's 100 counties 24 hours per day, seven days a week with a live person to speak to during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you to all 7 of our state's mental health organizations - the LME/MCOs [ncdhhs.gov] - and REAL Crisis Intervention Inc. in Greenville for their partnership on this initiative.
 
Importantly, if you - or someone you know - is experiencing severe distress, help is always available by contacting the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255.
 
Please take care of yourself and be kind to those around you. And remember, staying home is still the best way to continue to slow the spread of the virus and protect our families and neighbors. If you do go out, please remember the 3 Ws. Wear. Wait. Wash.

DMHDDSAS Update
Below is a summary of information NC Medicaid has released and links to more detail. If you prefer to read releases as they are distributed to providers and other stakeholders, please visit the
NC Medicaid website's Medicaid Bulletin page [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] and select "COVID-19" from the drop-down list of categories. You can also visit the NC Medicaid COVID-19 Guidance and Resources [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] page for more beneficiary and provider information, including federal requests and approvals.
Federal Plan and Waiver Flexibilities Requests and Approvals; State Legislation
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #85: New Legislation Extends Connection Date to State Health Information Exchange - NC Health Connex [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 8, 2020). All providers required to connect and submit data by June 1, 2020, according to House Bill 70/Session Law 2019-23, have been granted an extension and shall begin submitting demographic and clinical data by Oct. 1, 2021.

Beneficiary Support
Letter to Medicaid beneficiaries about COVID-19, temporary changes in Medicaid and available resources:  English |  Spanish.

Video about the benefits of using telehealth to stay healthy:  Why Telehealth in COVID-19? [youtube.com] (2:53) 1-minute version [youtube.com].

Flyer on telehealth basics, such as how telehealth can help avoid exposure to COVID-19; types of health care services available through telehealth; and how beneficiaries can talk with their doctor about a telehealth appointment:  English |  Spanish.

Provider Support - Business Operations
Reference Table of Key Federal Funding Available for Health Care Providers and Hospitals (updated April 29, 2020). NC Medicaid gathered the federal stimulus packages enacted by Congress and organized the information by available funding, funding opportunity and eligible provider types. The chart includes the action providers needs to take to benefit from the package and where to find more information. This document is accompanied by SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #56: Key Federal Funding Available for Health Care Providers and Hospitals. [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov]

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #88: Additional Temporary Rate Increases for Skilled Nursing Facilities, LTSS Personal Care Service Providers and Home Health Providers to support Strengthening Infection Prevention Activities  [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov](May 11, 2020). NC Medicaid continues provide support to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) and Personal Care Services (PCS) and Home Health (HH) providers to strengthen their infection prevention and management activities as they serve beneficiaries at high risk of contracting COVID-19. 

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #82: Expedited Hardship Advances and Retroactive Targeted Rate Increases for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Adult Care Homes Serving COVID-positive Patients [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 6, 2020). NC Medicaid is directing increased financial assistance to North Carolina Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) and Adult Care Homes (ACH) to support addressing the increased costs of caring for COVID positive (COVID+) residents in a congregate care setting. This Bulletin replaces Bulletin #68.  

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #80: NC Medicaid Temporarily Increasing Flexibility and Reimbursement Rates for Primary and Specialty Care Providers [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 1, 2020). NC Medicaid is temporarily adding Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry Clinical Coverage Codes for Specialty Providers and increasing reimbursement rates for telephonic visits and primary care medical home per member per month (PMPM) fees.

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #74: NC Medicaid Temporarily Increases Rates for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (April 30, 2020). NC Medicaid is temporarily increasing financial assistance to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to support them in maintaining critical access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 emergency.

Provider Support - Delivering Services
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #87: Additional Dental Clinical Coverage Policy Provisions [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 11, 2020). In response to the recent recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the delay of aerosolizing dental treatment during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NC Medicaid is implementing temporary clinical policy revisions that will allow dentists to provide additional services to Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries.

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #83: Title II Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 Rehabilitation Act (RA) Protections during the COVID-19 Pandemic [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 6, 2020). A reminder to all Medicaid providers that during COVID-19, federal law continues to require compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act, which includes providing reasonable accommodations for people living with disabilities.

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #81: Hospice Clinical Coverage Policy: Changes due to CMS Amendment and Other Flexibilities [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (May 4, 2020). Due to a CMS amendment of 42 CFR 440.70 through an Interim Final Rule including two policy changes affect Medicaid hospice services due to COVID-19.

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #73: Personal Care Services Telephonic Assessments Update [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (April 30, 2020). Our first temporary policy modification that has been rescinded. Effective May 1, 2020, Medicaid resumed use of the full assessment for all initial requests. SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #30: Personal Care Services Assessments, published March 31, 2020 indicated the use of the mini assessment for initial requests, which has been utilized until this point. Use of the full assessment will allow providers to complete service plans as required per PCS Clinical Coverage Policy 3L. All assessments will remain telephonic.


SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #71: Extension of Temporary Suspension of Level I and Level II Assessments for New Nursing Home Admissions [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (April 30, 2020). NC Medicaid has extended its temporary suspension of the Level I and Level II Preadmission Screening and Resident Reviews (PASRRs) requirement for new nursing home admissions and the requirement of a PASRR number on the prior approval, originally scheduled to expire April 24, 2020.

SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #70: Addition of Mailing and Delivery Fees to Retail Pharmacy Claims [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] (April 30, 2020). Prescriptions for Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries are eligible for the addition of a mailing or delivery fee via the guidelines below. NC Medicaid encourages beneficiaries to request, and pharmacy providers to mail or deliver prescriptions to beneficiaries, during the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve better social distancing within their community.

Provider Support - Delivering Services through Telehealth and Virtual Patient Communication
  NC Medicaid Telehealth Billing Code Summary (May 11, 2020). Billing codes for 24 types of telehealth services are included in one document for easy reference by providers' billing teams.

   Guidelines for Health Care Providers: Video-based Accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients (April 28, 2020). Options available to provide telehealth services to patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, developed by a coalition of consumer advocacy organizations and provided by the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH).

NC Medicaid has temporarily modified its   Telemedicine and Telepsychiatry Clinical Coverage Policy [medicaid.ncdhhs.gov] to better enable the delivery of remote care for numerous services:

Instructions for Filling Out a Hysterectomy Statement  
Please note that the Hysterectomy Statement must be downloaded from the   NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) website .
 
The NCTracks team has put together detailed instructions for filling out a Hysterectomy Statement, complete with explanations for each field of the form to better help providers submit accurate information and eliminate errors that may cause denials. Providers are encouraged to download this PDF guide to use as a reference when completing the form.    Read More.  
 
Instructions for Federal Sterilization Consent Form
The NCTracks team has put together detailed instructions for filling out the Federal Sterilization Consent form, complete with explanations for each field of the form, to better help providers submit accurate information and eliminate errors that may cause denials. Providers are encouraged to download this
  PDF guide to learn from and reference when completing the form.
  Read More.  
 
Two New Medicaid Bulletin Articles Available as of May 12, 2020
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published two new Medicaid Bulletin articles Dated May 12, 2020. All articles may be found on the DHB website.

Community Alternatives Program for Children Amended Waiver Application Approved
The Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP) ยง1915( c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver application has been amended and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), effective May 1, 2020.  Read More.
Complimentary Webinar: Overview of New Accreditation Program Enhancements for Child Welfare Organizations
Join us
The Joint Commission will be launching an enhanced accreditation program for Child Welfare and Human Service organizations in September 2020. Learn more about the new standards and other changes in this one-hour webinar.

Date:  June 2, 2020       |     Time 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST

A Q&A With Sean Luechtefeld From ANCOR
For this month's blog post, we had a chat with Sean Luechtefeld, Communications Director at ANCOR, to discuss the effect of COVID-19. We chatted about how COVID-19 is affecting people with I/DD and the behavioral health challenges posed by the pandemic, including the financial impact on providers and resources they can use.   Read the Q&A with ANCOR's Sean Luecthefeld.