Upcoming Benchmarks' Webinars

Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Date:  Friday, January 22, 2021
Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Benchmarks' and i2i Partnership
The Bridge Between System of Care and Medicaid Managed Care: Looking at the Value Proposition
Date:  Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Time:  1:00 pm  thru 2:00 pm

Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod
Date:  Friday, February 5, 2021
Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am

Benchmarks' Membership Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod
Date:  Thursday, February 11, 2021
Time:  8:00 am thru 9:00 am

Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Date:  Friday, February 19, 2021
Time:  8:30 am thru 9:00 am
FREE WEBINAR
 
The Bridge Between System of Care and Medicaid Managed Care: Looking at the Value Proposition
 
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
 
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. 



The BH/IDD Tailored Plan RFA incorporates System of Care as a part of the vision for Medicaid managed care. 
 
This is an important and timely webinar to help you incorporate System of Care into your services under Tailored Plans. System of Care is a national set of guiding principles to address the multiple needs of children and their families. The principles of interagency collaboration, individualized strengths-based care, cultural competence, family and youth involvement, community-based services and accountability align well with the vision for integrated, whole person care in North Carolina. In fact, these principles drive our system toward value-based care by focusing on a collaborative, integrated approach to services and supports. 
 
This webinar offers providers an exciting opportunity to hear how System of Care for children and their families can support your organization in the provision of value-based care.  

Kody Kinsley_ Deputy
Kody Kinsley
 Deputy Secretary for BH and IDD  NC DHHS
Liz Manley
Clinical Instructor for Health & Behavioral Health Policy
The Institute for Innovation and Implementation
Saarah Waleed
 Community Mental Health Section Chief NC Division of MH/IDD/SAS

Long-Term Care Webinar
Vaccination Q&A for Long-Term Care Facility Staff  Webinar- Friday 1/22/2021 - 12-1PM EST
This webinar will provide an opportunity for LTC staff to hear from and ask questions to a panel of presenters including LTC staff who have been vaccinated, an obstetrics and gynecology physician as well as COVID-19 health equity champions from NC DHHS to answer questions and share their experiences with you. 
 
Register for Webinar Here
 
Additional Q&A sessions are being scheduled as well for the coming weeks including session in Spanish.

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Webinars
Vaccinations and Administration
Thursday, Jan. 21 | 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
 
The Clinical Quality webinar series provides Medicaid primary care practice staff and clinicians with more information on topics specific to clinical quality on the third Thursday of every month. Events in January and February will be dedicated to information on COVID-19 vaccinations and administration. The agenda for this webinar includes:
  • Vaccine management in North Carolina, including data and metrics
  • Nursing home vaccine administration
  • CVMS overview
  • History of bias in healthcare
  • Messages to the public
  • Best practices for providers
  • Vaccine playbook
  • Tools and supports
  • Questions and answers 
Tips and Tricks for COVID-19 Vaccines
Tuesday, Jan. 26 | 6 - 7 p.m. 
 
This event in the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) and Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) Navigating COVID-19 Webinar Series will feature speakers from a private practice, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and a local health department to discuss their experiences administering COVID-19 vaccines and share lessons learned. Time will also be reserved for questions and answers.
 
More information and resources about COVID-19 are available at:
NCDHHS Awards Contract for Medicaid Managed Care Ombudsman Services
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)  announced today that Legal Aid of North Carolina (Legal Aid) will provide Medicaid Managed Care Ombudsman services for the state's Medicaid beneficiaries beginning in Spring 2021. Legal Aid, partnering with the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy and Pisgah Legal Services will serve as a central resource to educate and inform beneficiaries about the state's move to Medicaid Managed Care through outreach events, a public website and a toll-free phone number. The Ombudsman will also help resolve issues within the Medicaid Managed Care delivery system.
 
More information about the Ombudsman will be available soon on the NC Medicaid website.  
 
SPECIAL BULLETINS COVID-19 #149, #150 and #151 Available
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published three Medicaid Bulletin articles related to COVID-19:
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #149: COVID-19 Relief Fund Payments for Dental Providers
To support continued access to dental care for Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries in North Carolina at a time when providers are facing challenges posed by the COVID-19 public health emergency, NC Medicaid will be making financial assistance payments to dental providers who serve meaningful numbers of Medicaid and NC Health Choice beneficiaries.  More Information.
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #150: UPDATE to NC Medicaid Cost Report Filing Extensions
Select provider types enrolled in the NC Medicaid Program are required to file annual Medicaid cost reports utilizing cost reporting schedules which are based on approved Medicare cost reporting platforms.  More Information.
 
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #151: Laboratory Codes for COVID-19 Testing
NC Medicaid has approved codes for COVID-19-related medically necessary laboratory testing and has completed adding these services in NCTracks. Please note there are other codes currently under review that will be posted at a later date.  More Information.
 
Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage. 
 
New Medicaid Bulletins Available as of Jan. 19, 2021
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published new Medicaid Bulletin articles: 
Providers are encouraged to review this information. All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.

Caring for Women with Opioid Use Disorder Toolkit


Communities throughout the nation continue to be impacted by the opioid epidemic, which has worsened the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opioid Use Disorder can affect women in particular ways at all stages of life, including adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy, parenthood, and older age.

The HRSA Office of Women's Health created  Caring for Women with Opioid Use Disorder: A Toolkit for Organizational Leaders and Providers. Organizational leaders and healthcare providers can ensure that care coordination serves women's unique needs. The toolkit provides resources and information to bolster care coordination services for women with opioid use disorder. For questions related to the toolkit, contact HRSAOWH@hrsa.gov.

Sign up today for a webinar on how to use this toolkit:
1/28/2021
3:00 - 3:30 p.m. ET

Person-Centered Practices Self-Assessment: Plain Language 
Your state is trying to make services work better for people. They want people who use support services to be listened to. They want people to have a say in what works best for them. In the service world, this is called being "person-centered." "Person-centered" means people feel listened to and respected. It also means they feel in control of their own life. To track how they are doing, states, tribes, and territories can use a new self-assessment. It asks questions about things that are important for a system to be person-centered. This guide is meant to help you understand the self-assessment they are using.

Population Health Science in the U.S.: Trends, Evidence, and Implications for Policy
On October 3, 2018, the Roundtable on Population Health Improvement of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science convened a joint symposium in Washington, DC to consider the current state of population health science in the United States. At the symposium, speakers and participants reviewed the status of population health in the United States, including current trends in health and mortality, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities; explored the complexities of policy implementation with attention to evidence generation and to surfacing and mitigating negative unintended consequences of policies for population health; and shared perspectives on finding common ground to move population health forward. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.

Building Authentic and Mutually Beneficial Partnerships with Complex Care Consumers
Collaborating with consumers and better understanding their communities can strengthen different facets of complex care programs, including program design and planning, research and evaluation, care delivery, and quality improvement. Partnering with complex care consumers can also assist health care systems in delivering care and services that is more responsive to patients' experiences, preferences, and values. While many health care organizations recognize the importance of meaningful consumer engagement, there are often challenges and uncertainties about how to build authentic and mutually beneficial partnerships with individuals and their communities.
Upcoming EventsUpcomingEvent3
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-Vaccinations & Administration

Time:  5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
 
Thursday, January 21, 2021
PROPOSED I/DD & TBI STATE-FUNDED SERVICE UPDATE

Time:  6:00 pm thru 7:00 pm
 
Call-in: +1-415-655-0003
Access Code: 178 820 9354
Friday, January 22, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar

Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am
 
New:  Friday, January 22, 2021
Vaccination Q&A for Long-Term Care Facility Staff  

Time:  12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
 
Friday, January 22, 2021
SESSION 2:  Provider Engagement and Education (NC's Dr. Shannon Dowler will be presenting)

Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
 
New:  Monday, January 25, 2021
Joint DMHDDSAS and DHB (NC Medicaid) COVID-19 Update Call For BH/IDD Consumers, Family Members and Community Stakeholders

Time:  2:00 pm
 




Tuesday, January 26, 2021
The Bridge Between System of Care and Medicaid Managed Care: Looking at the Value Proposition

Time:  1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm

New:  Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Tips and Tricks for COVID-19 Vaccines

Time:  6:00 pm thru 7:00 pm
 

Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Session 2
Post-Acute Care and Long Term Care Facility Pandemic Response Best Practices and Lessons Learned

Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
 




Wednesday, January 27, 2021
NC Medicaid Transition to Managed Care 

Time:  3:00 pm





Thursday, January 28, 2021
Tips for Keeping Kids Safe Online

Time:  10:00 am thru 11:30 am



Thursday, January 28, 2021
Friday, January 29, 2021
SESSION 3:  Patient Engagement and Education

Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
 

Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) Learning Hub - Webinar on MCO Investments in Affordable Housing

Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
 
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Series:  Value-Based Payment/Advanced Payment Models & Quality

Time:  5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
 
New:  Friday, February 5, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
Dave Richard Joins Karen McLeod

Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am
 
Friday, February 5, 2021
SESSION 4:  What's Next? A Roadmap for Telehealth Policy Beyond the Pandemic 

Time:  2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
 
New:  Thursday, February 11, 2021
Benchmarks' Membership Child Welfare Webinar
Lisa Cauley Joins Karen McLeod

Time:  8:00 am thru 9:00 am
 
Thursday, February 11, 2020
Save The Date:  A State-Wide Convening on the Direct Care Workforce

Time:  9:00 am thru 12:00 pm 







Thursday, February 11, 2021
Human Trafficking 101

Time:  10:00 am thru 12:00 pm
Friday, February 12, 2020
Save The Date:  A State-Wide Convening on the Direct Care Workforce

Time:  9:00 am thru 12:00 pm 


Thursday, February 18, 2021
Clinical Quality Webinar Series-TBD

Time:  5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
 
New:  Friday, February 19, 2021
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar

Time:  8:30 am thru 9:30 am
 
Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2 & 3, 2020
Save The Date

Thursday, March 4, 2021
Medicaid Managed Care Fireside Chat Series:  Policy Approvals, Process Changes and Appeals

Time:  5:30 pm thru 6:30 pm
 
LME/MCO Updates
Please click on each of the following links to view details sent out from each LME/MCO.

Benchmarks' wants to be sure to make the following list handy for our members to visit and suggests a peek at least once per week to find information that may be pertinent to your agency and contracts.