Here’s your mid-week NCMS Morning Rounds
March 10, 2021
Take Action Today!
The NCMS is calling on you to send an email Action Alert to your legislator opposing HB93—Require Naloxone with Opioid Scripts. This bill would mandate co-prescribing naloxone with certain opioid prescriptions. The NCMS opposes prescriptions mandates. If you didn’t already respond to this Action Alert, please take just a minute to use this easy method of grassroots engagement. Use this link to contact your legislator via email now.
As of yesterday afternoon, the bill still was slated to be heard before the House Insurance Committee today, so acting now is key.
Please Help Decrease the Burden of Diabetes in NC
Have you checked out the NC Guide to Diabetes Prevention and Management yet? There’s great information about diabetes and prediabetes in NC, along with specific information for health care providers and how they can help decrease the burden of diabetes in our state.
The Guide addresses the prevalence, health disparities and economic burden of diabetes, and how the social determinants of health influence diabetes prevention and management. The Guide also covers primary prevention, diagnosis, management, and ways that healthcare providers can influence primary prevention and diabetes self-management engagement.
To learn more about the Guide, click here to register for the upcoming free webinar to be held on March 23 at 11:30 a.m.
Edging Toward July 1 Launch of Medicaid Managed Care
The next big milestone in the approaching July 1 launch of Medicaid managed care, will be on Monday, March 15 when open enrollment begins for those eligible for Medicaid benefits. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) began mailing enrollment packets statewide and launched new resources for beneficiaries last week.
Beneficiaries can now call the NC Medicaid Enrollment Call Center at 833-870-5500 (TTY: 833-870-5588) to learn more about NC Medicaid Managed Care and can download a free beneficiary enrollment mobile app called NC Medicaid Managed Care, which is available on Google Play or the App Store. All these tools are available to your patients on the NC Medicaid enrollment website, which also will assist beneficiaries in choosing a primary care provider (PCP) and a health plan for their families’ care.
To assist beneficiaries in selecting from among the five Medicaid managed care health plans and find a provider, the enrollment website offers the Medicaid and NC Health Choice Provider and Health Plan Lookup Tool with four categories of search capabilities, advanced search based on specialty and the ability to view all providers within an organization/location and by practice name. Open enrollment runs through May 14.
If you did not contract with one or more of the Medicaid managed care health plans before the Feb. 1, 2021 deadline, you are not included in the current provider directory. But, if you execute a contract before April 12, you will be included in auto-enrollment, which begins May 15 for those Medicaid beneficiaries who had not proactively selected their plan and provider by May 14.
Read more about each step in the state’s transition to Medicaid managed care here. Also, remember the NC Population Health Collaborative meets this Thursday, March 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. when it will address ‘The Journey Towards Medicaid Managed Care: Get Your Go Bag Ready!’ This session will cover a variety of topics including issues around the Advanced Medical Home (AMH) and COVID-19 coverage policies. Learn more and register here.
In the News
As Pandemic Drinking Surges, Is It Time To Add Warning Labels To Alcohol? Advisory Board, 3-8-21
Learning Opportunity
Transition of Care at Managed Care Launch (Crossover) Thursday, March 11 | 5:30–6:30 PM
With the July go-live date for Medicaid Managed Care fast approaching, the NC AHEC Program is helping providers prepare for the transition with two webinars and one virtual office hour event covering managed care topics this month. This session will review the information sharing processes established between the Health Plans and the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (NC DHHS) to ensure member continuity of care at Managed Care Launch.
Learn more here. Register here.
If you have policies you’d like your NCMS Board of Directors to consider, please complete the Board input form here. Thanks for reading!