From the North Carolina Office of Rural Health:

The Office of Rural Health (ORH) offers qualifying physicians, with educational (student) loan debt, incentive payments to repay their loans tax-free through the Primary Care Physicians Initiative (NC PCPI). With the passage of Session Law 2023-134, incentive payments are awarded to eligible physicians in exchange for providing comprehensive primary care services in outpatient settings at eligible sites serving those with highest need located within Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the North Carolina's County Distress Rankings (Tiers).

Funding is limited and the awards will be based on a first-come, first-served basis for eligible and complete applications. ORH anticipates up to 16 awards in each of the six Medicaid Regions. The application portal will not accept more than 20 applications per Medicaid Region. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the guidelines carefully and gather necessary documentation so that they are prepared to complete the online application in its entirety via the application portal.

MEDICAID MANAGED CARE BACK PORCH CHAT

Key NC Medicaid Updates

Thursday, May 15 | noon-1 p.m.

Please join this month's Back Porch Chat on Thursday, May 15 from 12-1 p.m. This webinar will be hosted by Dr. Janelle White, Chief Medical Officer of NC Medicaid, and will cover important federal updates and NC Medicaid budget priorities.

Additional topics include:

• Clinical Coverage Request Process and Policy Revision Request Process
• 2024 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Survey Results
• Credentialing Committee Updates
• Justice-Involved Reentry Work

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

It's National Kidney Month!

Chronic kidney disease affects nearly 37 MILLION people in the country (more than 1 in 7 adults). 

Chronic kidney disease often causes no symptoms until it is more advanced.

Chronic kidney disease is progressive.

Chronic kidney disease puts people at risk for other serious health problems like heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

One in three adults with diabetes (and one in five with hypertension) may have chronic kidney disease (CKD).

90% of people with it DO NOT KNOW THEY HAVE kidney disease!

Back to our title, "it takes two to make a thing go right": Two tests should be done to look for CKD. Fewer than half of patients at high risk for CKD are screened appropriately.

How to screen?

• Spot urine ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio)

AND

• eGFR (estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate)

Get started now to help make this thing go right!

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.

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
  
  

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

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. A perfect time to revisit this topic!

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the U.S., and smoking causes almost a half a million deaths per year.

Rural NC Road in Autumn. Photo used with permission

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. 

You know the health of your patients.

Do you know the financial health of your practice?

• Where does your practice stand related to financial benchmarks like days in accounts receivable?
• Do you understand your payer mix?
• What is your process for auditing for lost revenue?

North Carolina AHEC has a free tool that you can use to track your practice's financial health.