What is the lawsuit about?

In the class action In re: Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litigation, the Plaintiffs (Provider Class Representatives, or group of providers and facilities bringing the suit) claim that the Settling Defendants (Individual Blue Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association) violated antitrust laws by illegally dividing the United States into "Service Areas" and agreed not to compete in those areas.  They also claim that the Settling Defendants fixed prices for services provided.

Why is there a Settlement?

The Court did not decide in favor of the Plaintiffs or Settling Defendants.  Instead, both sides have agreed to the Settlement.

Who is included in the Settlement Classes?

The Settlement Class includes all Providers in the U.S. (except Excluded Providers) who currently provide or provided healthcare services, equipment or supplies to any patient who was insured by, or was a member of or a beneficiary of any plan administered by any settling individual Blue Plan from July 24, 2008 to October 4, 2024.

The bird flu (H5N1) is becoming a greater concern among people who track infectious diseases.

A recent article in Nature explains why changes in how the disease spreads could affect humans, and a new LibGuide from UNC Health Sciences Library collects key resources to help understand the current bird flu situation.

To learn more, check out the ADL's Highlighted Resources for February 15:
Will bird flu spark a human pandemic? Scientists say the risk is rising
Avian Influenza - "Bird Flu" (H5N1) Guide

With funding from NCDHHS, Project AWARE is able to offer SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) training via Appalachian State University at no cost to the first 300 applicants!

SBIRT

• is brief
• is comprehensive
• decreases the severity of drug and alcohol use (early intervention with SBIRT saves lives and money and is consistent with overall support for patient/client wellness)
• reduces health care costs
• is used in various settings (by doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors and other service providers)

Users of this technique employ a variety of tools including AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), DAST (Drug Abuse Screening Test) and CRAFFT (Adolescent Screening Tool). Motivational Interviewing is at the core of SBIRT training.

There are two components to this free training; online asynchronous modules and a synchronous workshop. 

You can also register here.

Today we bring you some important news from United Healthcare.

Don't lose access to the United Healthcare Provider Portal! Make sure your sign-in options include passkey, authenticator and/or a verified phone number by March 6th.

What's changing and when

A security update to the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal is coming soon.  This will affect how you sign in to the portal and gain access if you're ever locked out.

Currently, many use email as a recovery and multifactor authentication option. On March 6, 2025, this option won't be available. Be prepared; review your options now.

UnitedHealthcare provider portal authentication webpage has all the details you need to ensure your access is maintained.

You can also review FAQs on the changes.

• Hepatitis B vaccines are paid like other Part B preventive vaccines effective January 1, 2025.
• New claim-based payments for Part B preventive vaccines and their administration are effective July 1, 2025.  RHCs and FQHCs will need to annually reconcile payments with the facilities' actual vaccine and vaccine administration costs on their cost reports.

If you have not already, we encourage you to subscribe to the MLN Connects ® newsletter for more information and updates from CMS.

MEDICAID MANAGED CARE

Virtual Office Hours

NC Medicaid Initiatives & Updates

Thursday, March 6 | noon-1 p.m.

Please join us on Thursday, March 6 from noon-1 p.m. to hear about NC Medicaid initiatives and updates, including:

• Education/Training Transcripts
• New Ordering/Prescribing/Referring Provider Guidelines
• Delegated Enrollment & Credentialing Committee
• Telehealth
• Annual Federal Fee Increase 
• Children & Family Specialty Plan Update
• Multi-Factor Authentication/NCID Update

Register by clicking the blue button below. We look forward to connecting with you!

These learning collaboratives are for primary care providers, behavioral health professionals, and anyone else who has implemented or is considering the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) for integrating behavioral health in a primary care setting. Independent primary care practices, FQHCs, and rural health clinics may find this collaborative especially helpful for meeting some of the behavioral health needs of their patients.

The next session is February 20 from noon-1 PM.

Check out the attached flyer for more details and to register for one or more sessions!

Register now for the next AHRQ (Association for Healthcare Research and Quality) webinar to be held on March 6 from 2:00-3:15 PM eastern.

This webinar will highlight the role of primary care in perinatal care with research on:

• Delivering respectful maternity care
• Insurance disruptions on maternal healthcare
• Postpartum primary care coordination for people with multiple chronic conditions and how they might impact patient outcomes

There will be a Q & A session after the presentations.

Advanced registration is required. You can also register for all upcoming webinars in this series.

Check out these other programs offered by NWAHEC:

• Basic Fetal Monitoring - Spring 2025
  April 9th, 9AM-3PM
  LIVE WEBINAR
  Learn more and register here
  
  
• Basic Fetal Monitoring - Fall 2025
  October 1st, 9AM-3PM
  IN-PERSON at Wake Forest Biotech Place
  Winston-Salem, NC
  Learn more and register here
  
  
• 2025 North Carolina Lactation Educator Training Program
  The 2025 North Carolina Lactation Educator Training Program consists of online self-paced training modules and a separate in-person skills day. Learn More and Register
  
  
• 13th Annual Breastfeeding Forum
  March 18th, 9AM-3PM
  In Person at Hickory Metro Center
  Learn more and register here
  
  

These online modules focus on the reverse integration process and provide details on how to implement this model of care. Credit is offered for FREE in these self-paced online modules (5 to choose from). 

The integration of behavioral health care into primary care is now widely considered an effective strategy for improving outcomes for patients with physical and behavioral health conditions. Reverse integration of primary care into behavioral healthcare is another form of integration that produces improved quality of care and patient outcomes.

Participants will learn the benefits of this model of care, the financial aspects of integrated care, as well as other clinical and operational aspects of providing this model of care.

Click here to view more information and to register today!

Cost and Registration
This series is offered free of charge through support from the NC AHEC Program. Instructions for accessing the online programs will be emailed to you with your registration confirmation letter.

Target Audience
This series will be beneficial to behavioral health and human service practitioners, including psychologists, social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, substance use and addictions professionals, clinicians and all others interested in this topic.

Credit
Credit types available include:

• 1.0 Contact Hour from Northwest AHEC
  
• Northwest AHEC is recognized by the North Carolina Psychology Board as an approved provider of (Category A) Continuing Education for North Carolina Licensed Psychologists. Each program will provide 1.0 contact hour of (Category A) continuing education for North Carolina psychologists. No partial credit will be given.
• 1.0 NBCC Contact Hour
  Northwest AHEC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5465. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Northwest AHEC is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.
  
• 1.0 NASW-NC Contact Hour
  NC AHEC is a 2021 NASW-NC approved provider of distance continuing education.
  Each program has been approved for 1.0 contact hour.

What evidence is available to support use of artificial intelligence systems in primary care?