October 14, 2020
Census Impacts NC Public Health and Human Services On October 13th, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump Administration to end the U.S. Census count earlier than expected. The census intake process was due to wrap up at the end of October. Instead, all census intakes end at 6 a.m. Eastern Standard…
Read moreOctober 7, 2020
Opportunities are being made available to stakeholders to prepare for the implementation of the Medicaid Standard Plan and Tribal Option. Both plans are scheduled to go-live on July 1, 2021. NC DHHS has held several feedback sessions with stakeholders to review their planned timeline for preparation. In addition, a weekly webinar series for providers has…
Read moreThe federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a guidance letter to state Medicaid directors on September 15th that encourages the use of value-based care (VBC) in Medicaid services. Value-based service delivery balances the quality of the services provided with the cost of the services. The value-based approach to services also incorporates non-medical…
Read moreAs the State moves to Phase 3, facilities like group homes, ICF/IIDs and adult care homes may also have eased restrictions related to visitation. Governor Cooper has signed Executive Order 165 to provide NC DHHS the authority to decide the appropriate restrictions on the activities and operations in long-term care facilities. The Executive Order remains…
Read moreThe year 2020 has been a whirlwind of change and adaptation with a renewed focus on long standing social inequalities that deserve resolution. It will be vital to take what we have learned in 2020 and apply these lessons in new ways as many of the changes that began in 2020 will continue into 2021…
Read moreAugust 18, 2020
Telehealth became the star of the pandemic by keeping people in services despite having to quarantine at home. North Carolina quickly ramped up their telehealth policies through a temporary waiver of federal rules and providers accordingly increased their telehealth capacity. The list of qualified professionals who can provide certain services, particularly telehealth, was also expanded…
Read moreAugust 17, 2020
The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and Health Choice received some revealing updates on Medicaid managed care implementation from NC DHHS leaders Dave Richard, Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid and Jay Ludlam, Assistant Secretary for Medicaid. They provided insights into what the Department is working on right now for implementation. A number of key…
Read moreConfidentiality rules related to substance use disorder services have historically been more stringent than confidentiality requirements for other diagnoses. This has made it more challenging to share consumer information from one professional to another. As the country moves toward a greater integration of care, data sharing through electronic health records, health information exchanges and other…
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