On Tuesday, January 25, HHS announced that it is disbursing an additional $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund Phase 4 payments. Like the payments allocated in December, these will be based on lost revenues and increased expenses due to COVID-19 and will be made to health care providers who previously applied for relief funds.
The North Carolina AHEC Practice Support Program is an approved Project of the North Carolina Maintenance of Certification (NC MOC) Program, an approved sponsor of the American Board of Medical Specialties’ (ABMS) Multi-specialty Portfolio Program (MSPP). Most ABMS Member Boards recognize this participation as an option to meet Part IV requirements. The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) also accepts NC MOC credit for physician assistants.
Through this approval, physicians and physician assistants who work with an NC AHEC Practice Support coach to improve care for patients will meet the requirements of their specialty boards to maintain certification in their specialties. (NPs see below)
From NC DHHS:
The stress of life, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, can feel overwhelming. But you don’t have to handle it on your own.
The Z-codes Z-55-Z-65 are used to document data related to issues a person faces related to where they are born, live, learn, work, play, and age. One's physical environment, and social, and economic factors significantly affect how long and well we live---much more than clinically provided health care. As you begin to screen your patients and uncover these factors, it is vital to codify what you have learned through the use of these z-codes.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) today published summary network adequacy results for Standard Prepaid Health Plans (Standard Plans) which were in effect for the July 1, 2021 “go-live." Network adequacy measures the ability of each NC Medicaid Managed Care health plan to deliver covered benefits by providing adequate access for members to all covered health care services through a network of contracted health care providers. Network adequacy and accessibility standards help verify that members have access to providers and offer an important tool for NC Medicaid to monitor and measure that access.
With a goal to educate medical providers and health care immunization teams on the most recent medical updates regarding the Pfizer vaccine, Pfizer is hosting free online webinars.
A recent study of 87 primary care encounters found that providers used at least 1 type of medical jargon without explaining it to patients in nearly 80% of appointments, with an average of more than 4 uses of jargon per visit. Fewer than half of the terms were explained, and overall, providers used a jargon term about once every 4 minutes!
The Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) has partnered with the Division of Health Benefits to establish a pilot initiative for communication access services for patients (and companions) who have Medicaid and Health Choice.
There is an important deadline approaching for organizations with the taxonomy of Primary Care, Single Specialty and Multi-Specialty within NC Tracks. Medicaid Health Plans require the rendering provider to be listed on a claim and the practitioner to be affiliated in NC Tracks with the service location on the claim. Organizations that do not have the required individual provider affiliation reflected in NC Tracks by November 21st risk suspension or termination.
