Welcome to your Thursday NCMS Morning Rounds.Jan. 21, 2021Additional CVMS Training THIS Morning + Webinar TonightThis morning at 9 a.m. an additional COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS) Train-the-Trainer – Surge Staff session will be held. For practices looking to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, this system is necessary to document and track vaccinations. The training will run until noon. Join via Zoom here with passcode 165704. If you have inquiries about the COVID-19 vaccine as well as any CVMS technology issues, please contact the COVID-19 Vaccines helpdesk here or email the helpdesk at [email protected]. NCMS members may also contact NCMS Director of Member Services Frank Snyder, [email protected], who is serving as NCMS point person on the CVMS to help troubleshoot issues members may be experiencing. Tonight, don’t forget the NC Medicaid Vaccinations and Administration webinar from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. the latest in the series of Thursday evening webinars hosted by Chief Medical Officer of the NC Division of Health Benefits Shannon Dowler, MD. The agenda for tonight’s webinar includes: Your Input Needed on COVID-19 Vaccine RolloutPlease take just a moment to complete the latest urgent practice survey. This brief survey has been distributed by the NCMS, Curi and the NC Medical Group Management Association regularly since the beginning of the pandemic in March. The information you provide has been crucial as each organization seeks to spot trends in the needs of medical practices throughout the state to offer resources and to advocate on your behalf with state officials as you deal with the pandemic. This week’s survey includes specific questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and your experience in the rollout. Thank you to those who have already replied. We will report the details of this latest survey in an upcoming issue of NCMS Morning Rounds. For an overview of the pandemic and data gathered through the survey throughout the past year, watch this week’s NCMS Foundation/NCMGMA Lunch & Learn webinar in which Sam Cohen, JD, of Curi and one of the survey designers traces the impact of the pandemic on North Carolina practices. Watch the webinar here. The passcode to access the recording is: NCMGMA/NCMS1 Legal Aid to Offer Ombudsman Services to NC Medicaid BeneficiariesThe NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced yesterday that Legal Aid of North Carolina will provide Medicaid Managed Care Ombudsman services to the state’s Medicaid beneficiaries beginning this spring. 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. As the Ombudsman, Legal Aid will work collaboratively with community-based organizations and government agencies to assist beneficiaries with issues impacting their health. The Ombudsman will be available to address specific Medicaid-related questions from beneficiaries, make referrals to applicable resources and assist in resolving issues with managed care. In addition, the Ombudsman will help track crucial information regarding access to care for ongoing reporting and analysis. This will help identify trends across Medicaid Managed Care to ensure timely attention to potentially systemic issues. The Ombudsman services provided by Legal Aid are not a replacement for the Grievance and Appeals processes required of each Prepaid Health Plan, nor do the services replace the right of a member to appeal through any State-administered appeals system. These services are distinct from North Carolina’s existing Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program that assists residents of long-term care facilities. More information about the Ombudsman will be available soon on the NC Medicaid website. In The NewsHHS Awards $20M to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Data-Sharing Efforts, Becker’s Hospital Review, 1-19-21 Learning OpportunityThe Digital Future of Managing Chronic Conditions, Thursday, Jan. 21 from 2 to 3 pm DON’T FORGET tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 22, to tune in to Power Hour beginning at noon when the topic will be COVID-19 and its impact on patients’ mental health. A few weeks into the new year, the situation with COVID-19 seems far from over and communities across the country wonder when will we see an end to the pandemic. As the health care community struggles to contain the spread, there are growing concerns on the impact on mental health among patients. So how are our patients doing? How are people dealing with and making sense of COVID-19 and how well are systems responding? Moderated by Franklin Walker, MBA, VP Rural Health Systems Innovation, you will have the opportunity to listen and converse with Jennie Byrne, MD, PhD, Staff VP, Clinical Excellence at CareMore Health; Vinay Saranga, MD, Saranga Comprehensive Psychiatry; Robyn Jordan, MD, PhD, Medical Director at UNC Substance Abuse Treatment & Recovery clinic; and Michele Kim, NP, Nurse Practitioner at Cherry Hospital (Inpatient Psychiatric Facility in Goldsboro).
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