May 17, 2010

The 2010 Short Session is off to a fast start with the Senate expected to roll out their version of the budget by the end of this week.  Governor Perdue introduced her adjustment proposals to the two-year budget nearly a month ago.  NCMS is working on a few key provisions in the budget including:

• Protect against further reductions to the physician reimbursement line item for Medicaid providers
• Restore 2009 Medicaid fee cuts while protecting primary care as legislated in the 2009 Budget
• Advocate for the utilization of Community Care of NC (CCNC) as the Medicaid managed care program for North Carolina — including prior-authorization programs

While there are numerous other provisions of the budget that affect physicians and their patients, these three provisions provide the most substantive effect.  The first two address the variance in rates paid for physician services.  This rate variance has led to serious cuts in areas where physicians were already receiving payment well below the cost of delivering the service.  As North Carolina faces unprecedented revenue shortfalls, this goal will be especially challenging to achieve.

CCNC is an equally important priority for this cycle.  CCNC is a nationally recognized model, led by physicians, that puts patient quality outcomes first and as a by-product saves the state around $250 million dollars a year in Medicaid expenditures.  Ensuring the future success and recognition of past savings by CCNC is an educational goal not only for legislators but for many physicians across the state.  You can learn more about CCNC by clicking on this link: http://www.communitycarenc.com/

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