Check Out These Weekly Updates (Nov 16-21)

We invite you to check out these other updates for the week, as we find helpful resources we will share them here weekly:

Clinical/Quality webinar on 11/19: The next Thursday evening webinar at 5:30-6:30 will be on Women’s Health. This will be presented by Dr. Dowler, Dr. Wroth of CCNC, the NC OBGYN Society (part of NC Medical Society) and NC AHEC. Register here
AMH Webinar Series: Check out this 6-part series that begins on December 10th. This will be on the second Thursday evening of each month. Information is also on the NC AHEC Medicaid Managed Care website along with the other Medicaid Managed Care and Clinical/Quality webinars. Register here
DHHS Announces Request for Applications for Behavioral Health & Intellectual/Development Disability Tailored Plans: Only Local Management Entity-Managed Care Organizations are eligible for the first contract term for 4 years. No more than 7 and no fewer than 5 regional contracts will be awarded by early summer 2021, and there will not be any statewide tailored plans. These plans will provide physical health, behavioral health, long-term care and pharmacy services. These plans will provide the same services as NC Medicaid Standard Plans with additional specialized services to serve individuals with behavioral health conditions. The launch of the tailored plans is scheduled for July 1, 2022 (not 2021). These plans will offer robust care management (tailored care management) and be available to those with intellectual/developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injury, serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance or severe substance use disorder. Care management will be available to nearly everyone, community-based with requirements for frequent in-person contacts, focused on the whole person, and not be episodic.
Medicare Advanced Payment Model (APM) Changes for 2021. Under the Medicare Quality Payment Program (QPP), clinicians can participate in two tracks for payment purposes based on their practice size, specialty, location, or patient population: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or an Alternative Payment Model (APM). Learn more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted many new Quality Payment Program (QPP) resources to the QPP Resource Library
2020 MIPS Measure Specialty Guides: These guides provide a detailed sample of measures and activities for the 2020 MIPS performance categories relevant to various eligible specialists. CMS has finalized the following new guides: Dermatology Specialty Guide; Gastroenterology Specialty Guide; OB/GYN Specialty Guide. The guides can be found in the QPP Resource Library
NC Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Announcements: Click to view
UnitedHealthcare responds to telehealth concerns: NC Pediatric Society relayed concerns about patients referred to a telehealth service outside the medical home. UnitedHealthCare (UHC) replied immediately and is exploring the following steps to further encourage continuity of care, including appropriate telehealth visits: 1- Provide educational material to UHC members insured in commercial group plans encouraging them to always contact their Primary Medical Home before using another virtual visit service, 2- Send notification to the UHC Member Services Call Center instructing Members to contact their Primary Medical Home about telehealth options before using another virtual visit service, 3- Contact Participating Commercial Group Human Resource Departments to cascade reminders for employees/covered dependents to contact their Primary Medical Home for telehealth rather than using another virtual visit service to promote continuity of care, 4- Educate and encourage toll-free NurseLine to direct UHC members to their medical home to promote continuity of care, 5- During House Calls visits to UHC members, promote the understanding that many Primary Medical Homes have their own telehealth services and to call the Primary Medical Home first to promote continuity of care.
Check out the most recent newsletter from the NorthEast Telehealth Resource Center.
Health Affairs article on rural ACOs "How ACOs In Rural And Underserved Areas Responded To Medicare’s ACO Investment Model" - Learn More Here
List of ACOs and CINs in North Carolina: Please note that there is a difference between ACOs and CINs. A primary care practice can only be in one ACO for a given insurance product but can be in multiple CINs. Login here to view
Keeping Kids Well Postcards: To assist your practice in promoting the importance of these visits, North Carolina’s Keeping Kids Well (KKW) initiative would like to offer your practice free post cards to assist you in reminding parents about recommended immunization schedules and visits. Learn More and Sign Up
Medicaid Managed Care Webinar Series for Providers: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) Division of Health Benefits and North Carolina AHEC are offering three monthly evening webinar series to help prepare providers, practice managers, and quality managers for Medicaid Managed Care going live on July 1, 2021.
Register for Medicaid Managed Care Topics - First Thurs of Month 5:30-6:30pm
Register for Clinical Quality Topics - Third Thurs of Month 5:30-6:30pm
Advanced Medical Home - Beginning in December 2020, a third webinar series on the Advanced Medical Home program will provide Medicaid primary care practice staff and clinicians with more information on North Carolina’s AMH model and how to function at the highest AMH Tier possible when Medicaid Managed Care goes live in July 2021.
Register for Advanced Medical Home Topics (Starts Dec 10) - Second Thurs of Month 5:30-6:30pm