Benchmarks' Upcoming Webinars
Benchmarks' Friday Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod
Date: Friday, December 17, 2021 thru December 16, 2022
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
(This registration is for a recurring meeting)
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod
Date: Thursday, January 13, 2022
Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
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Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar with Karen McLeod, Lisa Cauley, & Linda Waite
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NC Start Webinar
Come join us to learn more about the START (Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources, Treatment) model, information about NC START services, and their role in providing supports for dually diagnosed individuals in North Carolina.
Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Time: 10:00 am thru 11:30 am
1115 Waiver Amendment Public Hearing Added
NCDHHS is offering an additional opportunity to attend a webinar-based public hearing about the NC Medicaid 1115 Demonstration Waiver proposed amendment. This waiver amendment addresses the impact of the NC Medicaid Managed Care launch date delay, from November 2019 to mid-2021, due to COVID-19 pandemic and state budgetary challenges. The amendment also adjusts the coverage approach for certain populations eligible to enroll in the Behavioral Health I/DD Tailored Plans and revises the Health Opportunities Pilot program details to align with current design.
Join us on the date below for a review of the proposed changes to align the 1115 waiver with the current timeline and design. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers. The waiver amendment presentation is the same for all related public hearings.
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021 – 10:30 a.m. Eastern
Registration is not required
Call-in Number: 984-204-1487 (access code: 113486024)
The NCDHHS 1115 demonstration waiver aims to advance integrated, high-value care, improve population health, engage and support providers and establish a more sustainable program with more predictable costs.
The waiver authorizes significant transformations of North Carolina’s Medicaid delivery systems through a mandatory managed care program, the Healthy Opportunities Pilots and expenditure authority for substance use disorder treatment in institutions for mental diseases.
The Amendment Application and full public notice are posted on the NC Medicaid website. For more information or to submit comments on the 1115 waiver amendment, please email [email protected].
Webinar & Live Q/A on NC Medicaid and State-Funded Supported Employment Definition
NC Medicaid and the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services is hosting an informational session regarding the updated Supported Employment Service Definition for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The targeted audience for this presentation is Care Coordinators, future Tailored Plan Care Managers, provider agencies, individuals interested in Supported Employment services and their family/natural supports.
Participants will receive an overview of the definition, which includes specific criteria for services and featured highlights of the updated service definition. Please see log-in information below:
Friday, December 10, 2021 11:00 am Eastern Standard Time
Event Number: 2438 870 4214
Event Password: DMH123
IPS Stakeholder Work Group
December 14, 2021
9:30am – 10:30am
This is the second stakeholder work group meeting for Individual Placement and Support. Individual Placement and Support is a service for adults with mental illness or substance use disorder only, it is not available for individuals with I/DD or TBI.
Please share this invite with anyone I might have missed, and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you!
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Join with a video conferencing device
Video Conference ID: 111 043 336 4
Please note this meeting is about services for adults with mental illness and adults with substance use disorder.
Associated documents:
NC Medicaid 3136 & 3085 Form Upload Instructions
As outlined in Clinical Coverage Policy 3L, all PCS providers should comply with certain documentation requirements yearly. Below we describe how to electronically upload the NC Medicaid 3136 and 3085 forms using QiRePort.
The Quality Improvement Attestation Form (NC Medicaid 3136) is due each year by December 31 for each NPI. This form is to be submitted by all providers to attest to their compliance with Clinical Coverage Policy 3L, Section 7.7, Internal Quality Improvement Program. Providers can find instructions using form NC-3136 I.
Additionally, providers who are serving beneficiaries seeking additional hours under Session Law 2013-306 must also submit Session Law 2013-306 PCS Training Attestation Form (NC Medicaid 3085) to NC Medicaid. NC Medicaid’s Personal Care Services (PCS) program committee requires that providers attest to their aide training curriculum by submitting this completed form. Providers can access PCS Training Attestation Form instructions using form NC Medicaid-3085 I. T
his form should only be submitted by providers who are serving beneficiaries seeking additional hours under Session Law 2013-306.
While both forms direct providers to submit via email, the QiRePort system will allow providers to upload the forms into the system via the Provider Interface (PI). This submission will allow NC Medicaid to electronically store and maintain completed forms received for each provider. The NC Medicaid-3136 and -3085 forms will be uploaded by the provider following the same rules as used by the supporting document functionality. (Note: The difference between this process and the supporting document functionality is the 3136 and 3085 forms are uploaded for each provider and are not beneficiary specific).
To upload forms electronically, providers with Administrative Rights should start at the PI Setup Menu:
- Click “Documents” and find your Provider Name/NPI#.
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(Only providers with Administrative rights will have access to the Setup menu to add the forms.)
- Select the Provider Name hyperlink, then select “Add Document,” which will bring up the “Upload Record” screen.
- From there, select Document Type, Document Year, and the Record.
- (Note: The NC Medicaid 3136 and/or 3085 forms(s) must first be saved to the computer or an external device to complete the upload.)
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Select “Done” and the system will place the document uploaded into the Provider Documents table for storage.
- Select “Save” to save the record and complete the upload.
For additional questions, providers should contact Liberty Health Care-NC (LHC) at 919-322-5944 or 855-740-1400 or contact NC Medicaid at [email protected] or 919-855-4360.
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NCID Requirement
In order to protect the privacy of providers and recipients who receive services from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the NCTracks Contact Center is required to verify the identity of all callers.
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Note: If the caller does not have an NCID, they can contact their Office Administrator (OA) for assistance or visit the NCID website to register.
Callers that are unable to verify two pieces of information or are unable to provide the required contact information, unfortunately will not be able to be assisted. Callers may still access the provider portal or AVRS system to gain additional information on claims or eligibility status.
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #201 Now Available
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published a new Medicaid Bulletin article pertaining to COVID-19:
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #201: Booster Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines for All Adults
The Food and Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have authorized COVID-19 boosters for all adults (18 years and older). Details
New Medicaid Bulletin Available as of Nov. 23, 2021
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published a new Medicaid Bulletin article:
· New Web Address for PASRR Application
Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.
NCTracks Alerts: Issue with Claims Retroactively Voided with EOB 06125
NCTracks is aware of an issue involving an update to enrollment eligibility that caused some claims to be retroactively voided with Explanation of Benefits (EOB) 06125 - CLAIM RECOUPED. CLAIM COVERED BY PREPAID HEALTH PLAN (PHP). The NCTracks technical team is working to resolve this issue and updates will be provided as available. Providers are encouraged to watch their email and check the announcements on the Providers page for updates.
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NCDSS Offers Online Course for Resource Parents on
Disaster Preparation and Response
The NC Division of Social Services is proud to announce the release of Preparing for and Responding to Disasters: A Course for North Carolina Resource Parents. This free, 1-hour online course teaches resource parents (i.e., foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers) how to keep children and youth safe before, during, and after a disaster. Course content includes:
- Common disasters in North Carolina and how to prepare for them.
- Communicating with and following instructions from licensing agencies (including mandatory evacuation orders).
- How to create a disaster plan for your family to keep everyone physically and psychologically safe.
This course was produced by the UNC School of Social Work’s Family & Children’s Resource Program in partnership with and with funding from NCDSS.
We strongly encourage every supervising agency in North Carolina to ask their foster parents to take this course, Preparing for and Responding to Disasters, which can be found on the on-demand courses page of FosteringNC.org, our state’s learning site for resource parents: fosteringnc.org/on-demand-courses.
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NC Practice Standard Highlight: Implementing
The fifth and final key area that will be covered by the Practice Standards to support Child Welfare Services in North Carolina is implementing.
Implementing in child welfare services includes carrying out plans that have been developed through effective communication, engagement, assessment, and planning. For every role in child welfare, implementing requires action, follow-up, connections to services, evaluation of progress, continued assessment, and adapting of plans when needed. The goal of implementing in child welfare is to ensure progress is being made and outcomes are achieved, whatever that looks like for an individual family, social worker, supervisor, or leader.
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The Practice Standards will help to reinforce effective implementing:
- For frontline social workers, implementing includes linking families to services and community resources, supporting families to take actions agreed upon in plans and assuring adherence to plans by both families and providers, monitoring progress on behavioral goals, and identifying when plans need to be adapted. Social workers support families to take positive actions, help families find solutions to challenges, advocate for needed services for families, and check in on progress.
- Supervisors work with frontline social workers by coaching, mentoring, and providing feedback to workers regarding progress made in implementing plans, accessing services, and achieving outcomes. Supervisors build relationships with community supports and informal resources to help families achieve desired outcomes. Supervisors are responsible for supporting frontline social workers in ensuring plans are being implemented, progress is made, and positive outcomes for families are achieved.
- Leaders in child welfare guide change efforts through a purposeful process toward improved outcomes. Leaders direct implementation activities, ensuring resources are available for training and staff supports, and continuously assessing progress made and adjustments needed to achieve outcomes. Leaders connect the mission, vision, and goals of the organization to the outcomes obtained through implementation.
Whether members of your team are implementing plans with families, supporting and coaching frontline social workers regarding their work with families, or guiding change efforts, implementing requires an ongoing assessment and adjustment process to ensure goals are being met.
Stay tuned for additional information that will be provided during training about how effective implementing can be demonstrated in daily behaviors. Visit ncpracticestandards.pubknow.com to learn more and email any questions to [email protected].
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REMINDERS
Child Welfare Triple P Learning Collaborative Series Continues Dec. 8
The next installment in the Child Welfare Triple P Learning Collaborative series will be Dec. 8, 2021, 2–4 p.m. Register at unc.zoom.us/meeting/register. The webinar will focus on:
- Briefly revisiting best practices discussed to date – all focused on building ongoing readiness to deliver Triple P.
- Hearing from several Local Implementing Agencies (LIAs) about the support they offer to agencies and their practitioners interested in and implementing Triple P. These supports include how they recruit and select agencies, provide ongoing coaching, and support agencies with rolling out Triple P in a sustainable way.
- Hearing from DSS agencies about questions and challenges related to Triple P implementation. The collective voice and experiences from DSS agencies, LIAs, and other support partners will offer approaches to help mitigate these challenges and answer common questions.
Community Child Protection Teams (CCPT) Survey Responses Due Jan. 14, 2022
The CCPT 2021 End of Year Survey is part of a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process that is mandated by the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Please make sure that you are working with your local CCPT as soon as possible to ensure that the survey is completed by January 14, 2022.
Submit Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plans
If you have not already submitted your Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plans and data, please do so as soon as possible to Jodi Franck at [email protected]. Thank you!
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For the Policy Wonks Among Us: Medicaid Waivers Including Section 1915 (c) Waivers – CMS Guidance
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CMS Vaccination Regulation Update for State Regulators |
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'Endless Opportunities' – NC HIEA Advisory Board Chair Looks to Improve NC Health with Comprehensive, Inclusive Data from HIE
The N.C. Health Information Exchange Authority (NC HIEA) has an opportunity to build the state-designated HIE into a comprehensive, inclusive database that provides actionable insights for practitioners and the state to improve the health of North Carolinians, says the new chair of the NC HIEA Advisory Board.
Dr. William Way, director of diagnostic imaging at Wake Radiology, spoke about the future of NC HealthConnex as he begins his new role as Advisory Board chair.
"What do we want to do? That's the next step forward," he said.
"How can we leverage the information to make us all better, make us all more efficient, and provide the care that we need to more effectively? It's an endless set of opportunities."
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From Smishing to Ransomware: New Cybersecurity Threats to Organizations
Cybercriminals continue to launch new types of attacks against organizations. Smishing is an increasingly popular form of phishing because it uses messages to mobile phones, which people often trust more than emails.
In smishing attacks, people are prompted to download an application on their mobile device, which enables the attacker to gather personal information. For example, the new Android malware AberetBot sends text messages to download an app that captures users' banking credentials.
Organizations and their leaders, however, can take steps to protect themselves and to educate their employees to help secure organizations. In the November newsletter, the Enterprise Security Risk Management Office (ERSMO) explains
- Why cybersecurity awareness training for employees is critical to thwart ransomware attacks
- Best practices for leaders to protect their organizations from phishing attacks
- How to apply the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to make your organization more resilient
NC HealthConnex, as part of NCDIT, is attuned to mitigating these risks with our technical partners. Learn more about our privacy and security policies.
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Enhancements to NC HealthConnex Clinical Portal Released
To guide you through using the updated clinical portal, we offer the following resources on NC HealthConnex Training & Resources page:
The updates to the provider clinical portal include the following:
- New modern look
- Improved data display
- Security enhancements
- Single sign-on with electronic health records, once by configured by vendors
- COVID-19 Portal Quick Reference Guide
If you have questions about these features or need assistance, please contact the NC HealthConnex team at [email protected] or 919-754-691.
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NC CTP Spring 2022 Learning Collaborative Applications are now open!
The NC Child Treatment Program is happy to announce that the following Spring 2022 Learning Collaborative Application is now open:
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Starting April 2022-Applications due January 21, 2022
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Newly Revised Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals Now Available
A consensus set of knowledge and skills for the broad practice of public health, the Core Competencies are a collaborative effort of the 24 national organizations represented on the Council on Linkages. The Core Competencies describe foundational or crosscutting knowledge and skills for all public health professionals regardless of discipline and are used in workforce development activities nationwide.
The Core Competencies were recently revised to ensure these competencies keep pace with the changing realities of public health and continue to meet the needs of public health professionals and organizations. Guided by the 120-member Core Competencies Workgroup and input from the public health and population health community, revision of the Core Competencies began in October 2020 and resulted in the Council on Linkages adopting a revised version in October 2021, updating the version of the Core Competencies from 2014.
Changes in the 2021 version reflect significant updates to the content, wording, and structure of the Core Competencies, with a focus on improving harmonization with other workforce development resources, adding and expanding concepts of increasing importance in today’s public health environment, and making the Core Competencies easier to use. The 2021 version retains the eight domain structure, although the name and focus of several domains have been updated, and includes both competency statements relevant to all public health professionals and more detailed subcompetency statements organized into three tiers.
Regular review and revision of the Core Competencies are critical to ensuring these competencies remain relevant in an evolving field of public health, and resources and tools to support use of the Core Competencies are key as public health professionals and organizations implement workforce development initiatives, helping organizations craft job descriptions, assess the skills of their workforce, create workforce development plans, develop and deliver competency-based training, strengthen performance, and achieve accreditation. Updating of existing resources and tools and development of new resources and tools is underway and will continue over the coming months to support transition to and use of the new version of the Core Competencies. Suggestions of resources and tools that would be helpful are welcome in the Comments section below or by email to [email protected].
The coming months will also bring opportunities to learn more about the 2021 Core Competencies and ask questions about this latest version, starting with a webinar on December 7, 2021 from 1-2pm EST. Additional events will be announced through the Council on Linkages Update newsletter as they are confirmed. As well, Council on Linkages staff are available to answer questions related to the Core Competencies and can be reached at [email protected].
The 2021 Core Competencies are currently available in PDF form, and work has begun to add a more interactive online version and link the Core Competencies to resources offering additional information on the concepts included. The Core Competencies can be accessed online at phf.org/corecompetencies, and additional information about the Core Competencies, including resources and tools to facilitate use, can be found at phf.org/aboutcorecompetencies.
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Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care Through Medicaid Managed Care
People with behavioral health conditions ― including mental illness and substance use disorders ― often face difficulty accessing appropriate care, which can lead to underdiagnosis, as well as delayed or even a complete lack of treatment. In Medicaid, this population frequently has high rates of chronic physical health conditions and unmet social needs, such as homelessness and food insecurity. With nearly 70 percent of the Medicaid population enrolled in managed care nationally, integrating behavioral health services into primary care through managed care offers the potential to increase access to behavioral health care and improve health outcomes for a large segment of enrollees.
This webinar, made possible by The Commonwealth Fund, explored how state Medicaid agencies can support behavioral health and primary care integration through managed care, with a focus on the benefits of integrating financing for both types of care. The webinar provided perspectives from health care providers in the field on the benefits and challenges of integrating behavioral health and primary care services.
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Listen to our recent webinar to hear leading experts discuss research on long COVID-19 and resources to support patients. Webinar panelists shared information on treatment, providing comprehensive and quality care for those with long-COVID, and clinical efforts to coordinate care. Speaker topics include:
- The growing evidence base of COVID vaccination improving recovery for long COVID patients.
- The national research effort to understand, treat and prevent the long-term effects of COVID-19.
- Work to understand the needs and potential gaps in care for individuals with long-COVID that are essential workers and from underserved communities.
- A health plan’s efforts to connect individuals suffering from long COVID to care and other resources.
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New: Tuesday, December 7, 2021
NC START Model
Time: 10:00 am thru 11:30 am
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New: Wednesday, December 8-9, 2021
2021 Youth Mental Health Disparities Conference: Identifying Opportunities and Priorities in Youth Mental Health Disparities Research
Time: 10:00 am thru 2:00 pm (first day) & 10:00 am thru 2:00 pm (second day)
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Wednesday, December 8, 2021
“Closing the Gap” Between Primary Prevention and Treatment
Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm
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New: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Health Equity Roundtable
Time: 1:30 pm thru 3:00 pm
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New: Friday, December 10, 2021
1115 Waiver Amendment Public Hearing
Time: 10:30 am thru 11:30 am
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New: Friday, December 10, 2021
NC Medicaid & State-funded Updated Supported Employment Definition for Individuals with I/DD & TBI
Time: 11:00 am thru 12:30 pm
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New: Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Individual Placement & Support Stakeholder Work Group
Time: 9:30 am thru 10:30 am
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New: Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Interactive Monthly Update
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
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New: Friday, December 17, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar: Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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New: Thursday, January 13, 2022
Benchmarks' Child Welfare Webinar with Karen McLeod and Lisa Cauley
Time: 8:00 am thru 9:00 am
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