Enjoy your Thursday NCMS Morning Rounds.
Sept. 24, 2020
New COVID-19 Test Reporting Requirement Begins Friday
Earlier this year, the NC General Assembly allocated significant funds made available to it by Congress to finance part of the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state legislation required the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to promulgate new rules regarding reporting of COVID-19 testing results. The new requirements are set to begin this Friday, Sept. 25. Some of these new reporting requirements may apply to you, so it is important to read the one-page emergency rule found here.
If you have questions or concerns, please let us know. We are evaluating the impact of these requirements on our members, and their utility for COVID-19 pandemic management.
NC Medicaid Transformation Update
Last Friday, at the Medical Care Advisory Committee meeting, NC Medicaid staff updated committee members on the progress of the transformation to Medicaid Managed Care. With funding now in place for the transition, Medicaid managed care is now slated to ‘go live’ on July 1, 2021.
Review NC Medicaid Assistant Secretary Jay Ludlam’s PowerPoint presentation slides from the meeting, which include a detailed timeline.
NC Medicaid staff also provided an update on progress toward integrating behavioral health into the transformation, which is anticipated to launch in July 2022. View the presentation on behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disabilities tailored plans here.
To learn more about the state’s transition to Medicaid managed care, see the Learning Opportunity section of today’s issue of the NCMS Morning Rounds.
SlowCOVIDNC App Has Launched
As previously reported in your NCMS Morning Rounds, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) developed a new COVID-19 exposure notification app called, SlowCOVIDNC, which launched this week and is ready for download to your — and your patients’ — smartphones.
The free SlowCOVID-19NC app leverages Google and Apple’s Exposure Notification System (ENS) to alert users in North Carolina who have downloaded the app if they have been in contact with someone who later tests positive for COVID-19.
The app does not collect, store or share personal information or location data and allows the users to remain anonymous. Bluetooth must be enabled for the app to work. You can find it at the Apple App or Google Play stores.
The effectiveness of the app depends on anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 reporting their positive test by entering a PIN received through Community Care of NC, a web-based portal or by contacting their local health department.
Using SlowCOVIDNC is voluntary and is designed to enhance the state’s existing contact tracing efforts.
Get the details on how it works here.
In the News
No Where To Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the US, The March of Dimes, 2020 Report
Learning Opportunity
The NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and NC AHEC are offering two monthly evening webinar series to help prepare providers, practice managers and quality managers for Medicaid Managed Care going live on July 1, 2021.
Hosted by Chief Medical Officer of the NC Division of Health Benefits Shannon Dowler, MD, the two series will feature changing subtopics on Medicaid Managed Care on the first Thursday of each month and clinical quality on the third Thursday of each month. The first series kicks off on Oct. 1 with a high-level introduction to Medicaid Managed Care followed by the second series on Oct. 15 to review pediatric immunization trends during COVID-19.
Thursday, Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, ‘Better with Time: Medicaid Transformation State of Things’ (Series continues the first Thursday of each month). This webinar is hosted by Dr. Dowler, Chief Medical Officer, NC Division of Health Benefits, and moderated by Hugh Tilson, Director, NC AHEC Program. Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, ‘Immunizations and Keeping Kids Well: Trends and COVID-19’ (Series continues the third Thursday of each month). This webinar is hosted by Dr. Dowler and Tom Wroth, MD, CEO, Community Care of North Carolina, and moderated by Hugh Tilson. Register here.
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