The Northwest AHEC Practice Support Team is committed to promote understanding and improve the orientation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) for North Carolinians. In order to support these goals, we will share a publication on SDOH each month on our Practice Support Blog. This week, we would like to introduce an article "Suburban Families' Experience With Food Insecurity Screening in Primary Care Practices" from PubMed.Gov. Our practice support team has identified this article as a valuable resource to healthcare professionals in our region. The article touches on a number of food insecurity issues which enable the healthcare provider to look at the patient as a whole person instead of a specific condition in order to improve overall health outcomes.  

Recently, NC Division of Health Benefits (NC DHB) released some new provider resources on their Provider Playbook: Readiness page to help you prepare for the July 1, 2021 launch of Medicaid Managed Care.   

Attention all NC HealthConnex Participant Account Administrators (PAA) 

Special Bulletin COVID-19 #153 (1/21/21): Temporary Provider Rate Increases and Clinical Policy Changes Extended 

For inclusion in open enrollment and auto-enrollment, provider contracts must be signed and mailed to health plan by: 

Northwest AHEC is committed helping control the spread of COVID-19, and would like to keep you  informed about how to protect yourself and others. The best way to prevent infection is to continue to practice social distancing, handwashing and wearing a mask at all times. When available, the vaccine will add an important preventive measure. We have some updates below on how to get scheduled for the COVID-19 Vaccine.

​​Medicaid Fireside Chat Series: COVID 19 Vaccine Administration 

​​Medicaid Fireside Chat Series: Quality, Tracking quality performance, outcomes and expectations 

The Northwest AHEC practice support team would like to thank you for allowing us to assist your team in meeting the challenges of primary care. In particular, we’d like to thank you for your participation in a statewide campaign called Heart Health Now (HHN!). Your efforts were critical to saving lives and improving clinical outcomes, especially for patients identified as high-risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality.  

Check out the Provider Playbook: Medicaid Managed Care page for some valuable information to help you in the transition to Medicaid Managed Care.  See the readiness resources below. Please review the updated materials to ensure you are ready for the July 1, 2021 launch.