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Tomorrow: Dave Richard, Deputy Secretary-NC Medicaid,
joins Karen McLeod this week for Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar
We hope you will tune in!
Date: Friday, September 18, 2020 Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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Survey on the Olmstead Act plan
In order to obtain input from stakeholders who were not able to participate in an Olmstead Planning Listening Session, the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) has adapted the Listening Session polling questions into a survey. The survey asks about strengths, gaps, challenges, and ideas stakeholders have regarding services and supports for North Carolinians with disabilities, including children, youth, adults, and older adults.
The results of the survey will help to inform TAC's analysis of the states' resources/services and the recommendations for the states' Olmstead Plan. Survey responses will be anonymous and data will be collected by TAC (via TAC's Survey Monkey account). The survey will be open for responses between September 8 and 22, 2020. Please click HERE to access the survey.
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Special COVID-19 Bulletin #131 and Two New Medicaid Bulletins Available
SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #131: Temporary Rate Increase for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Centers
NC Medicaid is temporarily increasing financial assistance to Federally Quality Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Centers (RHCs) to maintain critical access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries during the COVID-19 public health emergency. More Information
Two New Medicaid Bulletins Available as of Sept. 15, 2020
The NC Division of Health Benefits (DHB) has recently published two new Medicaid Bulletin articles dated Sept. 15, 2020:
- Coverage for Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer
- Procedures for Prior Authorization of Synagis® (palivizumab) for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Season 2020/2021
All bulletin articles, including those related to COVID-19, are available on the DHB's Medicaid Bulletin webpage.
NCTracks Verifies Electronic Signatures During the Enrollment Process
Providers should be aware that NCTracks verifies electronic signatures on every Initial, Re-Enrollment, Manage Change Request (MCR) and Re-verification Application to ensure the signee is listed on the application and has been properly credentialed (or will be with an initial application).
The electronic signature must belong to the enrolling provider, an owner or a managing employee. If NCTracks identifies an electronic signature of an individual not listed on the application, and/or not active and credentialed, the application will be withdrawn. A new application submission will be required and all applicable fees will apply.
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This recently updated toolkit includes information on the role community health workers have in rural communities, examples of CHW programs, and resources to implement a program in your own community.
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CMS Releases Medicaid and CHIP T-MSIS Data to Provide Public Access and Transparency into Program Performance
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released updated Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) data that is used for monitoring program performance and analyzing state and federal payments for services. The Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) data provides information on key topics including service utilization and spending, and supports research and analysis that helps improve quality of care for beneficiaries.
"As part of the Trump Administration's push to make Medicaid accountable to the people it serves, CMS has worked closely with each state to improve its T-MSIS reporting," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "As a result, we now have more reliable data available than ever before to promote sound program performance, to protect American taxpayers, and build a Medicaid program that works for Medicaid beneficiaries."
Fact Sheets: Additional Medicaid and CHIP T-MSIS Analytic Files Data Release
Given the primary role that Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) serve as the backbone of our nation's safety net health care system, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made significant investments in these programs' information technology and data analytic infrastructure. These investments are designed to improve access to high-quality, timely Medicaid and CHIP data to ensure robust monitoring and oversight of these vital programs that provide healthcare coverage to more than 73 million Americans.
The Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) initiative transitioned state reporting from the legacy Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) to a timelier and expanded data set using a modernized technology platform to collect enhanced Medicaid and CHIP data from states. Because of the size and complexity of T-MSIS files and the frequency of updates, these raw data files are challenging to use directly for analytic purposes. Therefore, CMS created a series of data sets optimized for analytics, known as the T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF) consisting of research identifiable files (RIFs). TAF RIFs contain beneficiary-level data that are available with an approved Data Use Agreement. These research files are used by CMS, oversight entities and researchers to answer key questions about the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
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Learn More:
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2020 Child Welfare Recognition Event
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Listen to Alexandra Citrin, senior associate at the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), and Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, president of National Crittenton, dive into the needs of pregnant and parenting teens in the foster care system and the work CSSP and National Crittenton have done to support them.
Through this initiative, the Children's Bureau and its partners are seeking to work across public, private, and philanthropic sectors and help jurisdictions create truly equitable systems that benefit all children and families equally.
Learn about trauma and its effects as well as how child welfare systems can transition to a trauma-informed practice-and why it is important to do so. This issue brief also features state and local programs.
Numbers and Trends Series Update
Interested in foster care statistics? Check out Foster Care Statistics 2018. The data for the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System from fiscal year 2019 are also available.
In This Month's CBX: The Moment Is Now
This special edition is a call to action across public, private, philanthropic, and faith-based sectors to chart a different course to strengthen families through primary prevention and create a more just and equitable system focused on child and family well-being.
Read messages from professionals across the field that challenge systems that care for families to embark on a mission to focus resources on child and family well-being that will enable families of all backgrounds, incomes, races, and creeds to achieve their full potential.
Updates From Capacity Building Center for States
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| | Discover the Power of Simulation Training |
Resources in the series include first-hand accounts of simulation experiences and strategies to develop and implement a program:
Upcoming Conferences Information Gateway will be at the following upcoming virtual conferences. Please register and watch a virtual session. Be sure to visit Information Gateway's conference calendar to view and/or submit upcoming events!
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Binge Drinking - Information from NIAAA
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 percent-or 0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter-or higher. For a typical adult, this pattern of excessive alcohol use corresponds to consuming 4 or more drinks (female), or 5 or more drinks (male) in about 2 hours. Research shows that fewer drinks in the same timeframe result in the same BAC in youth; only 3 drinks for girls, and 3 to 5 drinks for boys, depending on their age and size.
According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 67 million, or about 25 percent of people in the United States ages 12 and older reported binge drinking during the past month.
Brain scans may help predict response to OCD therapies
- Differences in brain activity seen on scans taken before psychotherapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder corresponded with responses to treatment.
- Further research may help doctors tailor treatments for the disorder to match people's patterns of thought.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, chronic, and long-lasting mental health condition. People with OCD have uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts (obsessions), behaviors (compulsions) that they feel the urge to repeat over and over, or both. Symptoms can interfere with all aspects of life, including work, school, and personal relationships.
A type of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help many people with OCD cope with their recurrent and intrusive thoughts and behaviors. The approach most commonly used to treat OCD involves exposing people to their triggers and helping them reduce obsessive or compulsive responses. Read More Here
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Innovative Practice Collaborative (IPC)
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Thursday: September 17, 2020
Federal Medicaid Developments for Children's Behavioral Health includes Accreditation POV: The Joint Commission
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
Note: Use code PPCWEBINAR2020 for complimentary access
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Thursday: September 17, 2020
Understanding Clinical Quality Measures: How CMS is Modernizing its Approach to Digital Measurement
Time: 3:00 pm thru 4:00 pm
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Thursday: September 17, 2020
Partners Mental Health/Substance Use Provider Information Session
Time: 4:00 pm
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Friday: September 18, 2020
Benchmarks' Friday Membership Webinar with Dave Richard and Karen McLeod
Time: 8:30 am thru 9:30 am
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Friday: September 18, 2020
MEDICAL CARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (MCAC) TELECONFERENCE MEETING
Time: 10:30 am thru 12:30 pm
Teleconference:
Call: 866-390-1828
Access Code: 4586030
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Monday: September 21, 2020
Coping with Stress, the Triple P Positive Parenting Way!
Time: 10:00 am thru 11:00 am & 3:00 pm thru 4:00 pm
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New: Monday: September 21, 2020
Get the SCOOP on Staying Connected!
Time: 11:30 am thru 12:30 pm
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Monday: September 21, 2020
Addressing FFPSA Requirements: Tools for Selection and Sustainable Implementation of Evidence-Supported Programs Webinar
Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm EST
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New: Monday: September 21, 2020
COVID-19 Partner Update: CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Planning: What You Should Know
Time: 3:00 pm thru 4:00 pm
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Tuesday: September 22, 2020
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services
Time: 10:00 am
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New: Tuesday: September 22, 2020
Listening TO YOU Sessions
Time: 12:00 pm for Self-Advocates Only
4:00 pm for Youth (30 & Under) Only
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New: Tuesday: September 22, 2020
"Discerning Risks and Effects of Alcohol in the Midst of Adolescent Development"
Time: 1:30 pm
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Tuesday: September 22, 2020
State Medicaid Priorities for Children's Behavioral Health includes Accreditation POV: CARF International
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
Note: Use code PPCWEBINAR2020 for complimentary access
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Tuesday: September 22, 2020
Partners Innovations-I/DD Provider Information Session
Time: 4:00 pm
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Tuesday: September 23-September 24, 2020
Family Focused Treatment Association's (FFTA) 34th Annual Conference on Treatment Family Care
There is a cost associated with this event. $$$
Time: 10:00 am (Events are scheduled throughout the two days)
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Thursday: September 24, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
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New: Thursday: September 24, 2020
Practice Makes Progress: Making a Plan for Self-Care and Keeping It
Time: 12:00 pm thru 1:00 pm
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New: Thursday: September 24, 2020
Digital Health Tools & Health Equity - Lessons Learned & the Path Forward
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
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Thursday: September 24, 2020
Advocacy for Children and Families: Food for Thought - and Action
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
Note: Use code PPCWEBINAR2020 for complimentary access
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Thursday: September 24, 2020
Time: 3:00 pm thru 4:00 pm
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Friday: September 25, 2020
Western NC: Regional Policy Institutes
Time: 9:30 am
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Friday: September 25, 2020
NCDHHS Supported Living Level 2 & 3
STAKEHOLDERS MEETING
Time: 1:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
PARTICIPATE ONE OF TWO WAYS:
- Meeting ID: 973 1973 1182
- Passcode: 329118 (No registration necessary but you must enter this passcode to be admitted to the meeting.)
2) Attend by Phone:
855-880-1246 (US Toll-free)
Meeting ID: 973 1973 1182
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Monday: September 28, 2020
Central NC: Regional Policy Institutes
Time: 9:00 am thru 11:30 am
Keynotes: Deputy Director, Child Welfare Services Lisa Cauley
NC Child Welfare Family Advisory Council - Gina Brown
Advocacy 101: Melea Rose-Waters, Prevent Child Abuse NC
Counties Include: Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, Rowan, Rockingham, Caswell, Person, Guilford, Davidson, Randolph, Montgomery, Cabarrus, Stanly, Alamance, Lee, Moore, Anson, Richmond
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Tuesday: September 29, 2020
The Value of Youth Peers Serving on Community Boards
Time: 2:00 pm
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New: Tuesday: September 29, 2020
Building the Plane While Flying It, Part 2: Health Care for the Homeless, Telehealth, and COVID-19
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
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Tuesday: September 29, 2020
NC AHEC and CCNC Navigating COVID-19 Webinar Series
Time: 6:00 pm thru 7:00 pm
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New: Wednesday: September 30, 2020
Identifying the Enabling Services Workforce for Social Determinants of Health Screening and Documentation
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:00 pm
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Wednesday: September 30, 2020
Save the Date! National Adoption Month Webinar "Engage Youth: Listen and Learn"
Time: 2:00 pm thru 3:30 pm
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Thursday: October 1, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm thru 2:00 pm
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Tuesday: October 6, 2020
Eastern NC: Regional Policy Institutes
Time: 9:00 am thru 11:30 am
Keynotes: Deputy Secretary, Behavioral Health & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - Kody Kinsley
Associate Director, NC Families United - Stacy Justiss
Advocacy 101: i2i Center for Integrative Health
Legislative Panelists:
Senator Don Davis - Greene/Pitt
Representative Donna White - Johnston
Counties Include: Vance, Warren, Halifax, Northampton, Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson, Harnett, Cumberland, Hoke, Scotland, Robeson, Bladen, Harnett, Sampson, Duplin, Wayne, Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Onslow, Jones, Lenoir, Greene, Pitt, Carteret, Beaufort, Craven, Pamlico, Hyde, Dare, Washington, Martin, Bertie, Currituck, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Gates, Hertford, Camden, Chowan, Tyrell
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Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Town Hall discussion specifically for self-advocates, family members, caregivers, and service providers.
Time: 2:00 pm
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Saturday: October 10, 2020
Save The Date: NAMI's 2020 Annual Conference
Virtual and Free
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Monday: October 26, 2020
Triangle: Regional Policy Institutes
Time: 9:00 am thru 11:30 am
Keynotes: Youth Transition Program Director, NC Families United - Lacy Flintall
MomsRising - Sheila Arias
Advocacy 101: Beth Messersmith, MomsRising
Legislative Panelists:
Senator Valerie Foushee - Chatham/Orange
Senator Natalie Murdock - Durham
Representative Verla Insko - Orange
Counties Include: Wake, Johnston, Chatham, Orange, Durham, Franklin, Granville
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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.
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