March 14, 2018
We are excited to announce that Paolo del Vecchio, MSW, Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) will be the keynote speaker at the Opening Plenary for the Spring Conference on June 11th in Raleigh. In his role, del Vecchio provides executive leadership for federal efforts to improve…
Read moreNC DHHS has been publishing concept papers since last summer to provide information on specific areas of Medicaid Transformation. The Medicaid Transformation website now separates out concept papers, RFPs, the waiver amendment, application, etc. It is important to note that concept papers are point-in-time proposals by NC DHHS and include comment periods. The waiver amendment and…
Read moreMarch 12, 2018
An ongoing focus in North Carolina has been on children who are in or at-risk of being in the foster care system. No one wants a child to live out of their home setting, yet approximately 11,000 kids in North Carolina are doing just that. Children in foster care have extensive needs, including mental health,…
Read moreMarch 11, 2018
NC DHHS recently posted its latest Medicaid Transformation concept paper focused on the Standard Plan access to care and network adequacy standards. The paper does not outline standards for the Tailored Plan. The difference between the current access to care standards under the Medicaid (b)(c) waiver and the proposed requirements under the Standard Plan are…
Read moreMarch 10, 2018
NC’s State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer for the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Dr. Betsy Tilson recently shared with the members of the Developmental Disabilities Consortium how DHHS is working to address social determinants of health (SDOH) for Medicaid recipients. The state is looking at a multi-layered approach to tackling…
Read moreMarch 9, 2018
NC Governor Roy Cooper announced the release of the second half of $31 million in NC Opioid Crisis Grant funds received as part of the 21st Century Cures Act will begin this Spring. NC DHHS will conduct a competitive awards process to support community projects that advance the State’s Opioid Action Plan. In May of 2017, $15.5 million…
Read moreFebruary 23, 2018
Open Minds recently released a Performance Management Executive Survey: Where Are We On the Road to Value? It was a national survey of specialty provider organizations on their experience with value-based reimbursement (VBR). The survey results revealed that VBR arrangements are increasing, but slowly. Survey highlights: About a third of providers report participating in VBR…
Read moreA significant piece of legislation – the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) – aimed at preventing high-risk children from entering foster care – was included in the short-term budget bill recently passed by Congress. This legislation changes how states can use Title IV-E money, typically used for foster care payments and adoption assistance. The…
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