EXTENDED! More Time to Meet Making Care Primary Application Deadline

DEADLINE EXTENDED!     The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a new voluntary value-based primary care model called Making Care Primary (MCP). With a planned launch date of July 1, 2024 in eight states, including North Carolina. The 10.5-year model aims to improve care management and care coordination, equip primary care clinicians with tools…

Doctors May Have Identified a Possible New Syndrome in Newborns Linked to Fentanyl Exposure

 Severe birth defects in at least a dozen babies may be linked to fentanyl use during pregnancy.   New syndrome in newborns exposed to fentanyl possibly found (NBC News, Erika Edwards) --  At least 10 babies — possibly more than 12 — have been identified with what doctors believe to be a new syndrome related to exposure to fentanyl in the womb. All of the infants have distinctive…

NC DHHS Launches New Performance Dashboard for 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

  The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has launched a performance dashboard for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to highlight how the suicide and crisis lifeline is being used in North Carolina. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline connects North Carolinas via call, chat or text to a trained crisis counselor who will listen, offer support and provide community…

Prescription Reimbursement Change for Non-Medicaid Enrolled Providers

  Medicaid expansion launched on December 1, 2023, and NC Medicaid is reminding providers that prescriptions written by non-Medicaid enrolled providers will not be reimbursable by NC Medicaid due to federal requirements. NC Medicaid requires that all providers whose NPI will be used on a pharmacy claim be enrolled with NC Medicaid. There are no exceptions to this requirement. This…

Happy Birthday to These NCMS Members Celebrating This Month!

Grab your party hats and noisemakers and let’s celebrate!   Randy S. Adams, MD Swati S. Adawadkar, MD Briggs M. Ahearn, MD Collette Ah-Tye, MD Edward S. Alessandrini, DMD, MD Richard J. Alioto, MD E. Jackson Allison, Jr., MD, MPH Simon J. Allport, MD Barry D. Amos, MD Swathi B. Anche, MD Sarah M. Anderson, MD Wallace F. Andrew, Jr., MD Bradley L. Anglemyer, MD William E.…

Walking faster linked to ‘significantly lower risk’ of developing type 2 diabetes

 A brisk walk or striding is better for reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes that walking at a slower pace. Until now it was unclear what walking speed was needed to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes (The Guardian, Naomi Klein) -- Walking faster is linked to a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the first global study of its kind. Type 2 diabetes…

Are You Ready for Tomorrow?

  Medicaid expansion starts December 1.  Are you ready?   The state of North Carolina is expecting a flood of new patients in waiting rooms on December 1, when Medicaid expansion lets roughly 600,000 people gain greater access to healthcare.  In advance of potentially full waiting rooms and confusion, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has issued some tips.  Here is…

Could Lidocaine Kill Cancer Cells?

Lidocaine May Be Able to Kill Certain Cancer Cells by Activating Bitter Taste Receptors Preclinical study explains the previously observed anti-cancer effect of the common anesthetic drug (Penn Medicine News) -- Lidocaine—often used as numbing agent for outpatient medical procedures—activates certain bitter taste receptors through two unique mechanisms that result in cancer cell death,…

Don’t be ‘Sus’, This List Will Help You Talk to Your Teenage Patients. No ‘Cap’!

'Bet', this annual list of slang terms could have you saying 'Yeet' (USA Today, Anthony Robledo) -- IYKYK and if you don't, well there's always Urban Dictionary. Online language learning platform Preply released their 2023 survey of the most commonly used slang terms that parents of teenagers are most familiar with. While words like "salty" and "extra" transferred over from last year's…

Old Memories Help Us Learn New Things, According to Science (and Snails)!

Change in perception can help link past and future memory storage (Makika Spitulski) -- It’s often said that we’re “learning by experience” when we try new things, practice skills, and make mistakes. In other words, our memories of past experiences can shape our perceptions of ourselves, the world, and even the future. Though we can all probably think of examples that back up this…

NCMS Board Member, Dr. Karen Smith, Talks Medicaid Expansion, Access to Care

More people in NC will have health insurance on Dec. 1, but there’s more to do to improve access (NC Newsline, Lynn Bonner) -- North Carolina will reach a milestone Dec. 1 when an estimated 600,000 low-income people become eligible to enroll in health insurance under Medicaid expansion. North Carolina is the 40th state to expand Medicaid and allow people with incomes up to 138% of the…

CDC: High School E-Cigarette Use Declining, NC JUUL Settlement Helping

High school vaping sees a steep decrease from 2019 (The Daily Tar Heel, Audrey Kashatus) -- Use of e-cigarettes declined from 14.1 to 10 percent among high school students from 2022 to 2023, according to this year's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Youth Tobacco Survey. This 2023 decline comes about two years after N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein reached a $40…

United Nations Takes Action on PFAS in NC as Residents Prepare for Exposure Study

 North Carolina residents contributing blood and information to examine level of exposure to PFAS Contamination       The United Nations has recognized the PFAS contamination crisis occurring in the Lower Cape Fear Region as a violation of international human rights law. The Cape Fear River is the primary drinking water supply for over 1.5 million residents in NC. On…

CDC: Covid Variant BA.2.86 Triples in New Estimates

BA.2.86 Now in 8.8 Percent of Cases   (CBS News Health Watch, Alexander Tin) -- Nearly 1 in 10 new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are from the BA.2.86 variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Monday, nearly triple what the agency estimated the highly mutated variant's prevalence was two weeks ago. Among the handful of regions with enough specimens reported…

Duke Researchers Discover Our Eyes and Ears “Talk” to Each Other Through Subtle Sounds

Duke University scientists discovered that they can pinpoint where someone is looking simply by listening to their ears. (Hear.com) -- It’s a well-known fact that the body is interconnected, but a new study is magnifying just how closely eyes and ears work together. Publishing their findings last week, Duke University scientists discovered that they can pinpoint where someone is looking…

Time to Say Goodbye! Food Scientists Say What to do With Thanksgiving Leftovers

How Long Do Thanksgiving Leftovers Last? Food scientists break down what food is the first to go bad and simple ways of extending leftovers’ shelf life     Is it time to get rid of your Thanksgiving favorites? (Scientific America, Jocelyn Solis-Moreira) -- After days of planning and hours of cooking, the last thing you want to do is toss out your lavish Thanksgiving…

NC Officials: Teen Sexual Extortion Cases Rising Online

Overall, tips to the state about cyber child exploitation more than tripled from 2019 to 2022, and they are on track to grow this year, the State Bureau of Investigation said.     (NC Health News - Jennifer Fernandez) --  As teens spend more time on social media, parents need to watch for signs that they are being exploited, North Carolina officials warn. Between 2021 and…

Medicaid Expansion Begins Friday, NC Raising Rates for Behavioral Health Providers

 Increased reimbursement for psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, substance use treatment professionals and others may lead more of them to accept Medicaid — expanding access to care for state residents   Rate Change is First Since 2012 (NC Health News - Jamie Baxley) -- Medicaid expansion, a decade-in-the-making measure that is expected to provide health insurance to more than…

Hungry Again? Here is the Science Behind Your Craving

 Turns out, cravings are not just in your head   (Katie Couric Media, Tess Bonn) -- Whether your loyalties lie with a bag of potato chips or a bar of chocolate, the fact is we all get cravings. More than 90 percent of people have experienced them at one point or another — often, of course, at the most inopportune times, like right before a long meeting or going to sleep. If…

Polysubstance Abuse Worsening US Opioid Crisis

  America's addiction crisis is being ushered into a dangerous new era by rising levels of polysubstance abuse, as more people become addicted to deadly combinations of synthetic opioids and stimulants. The alarming trend is causing concern among addiction specialists and medical professionals, who say the rise of polysubstance abuse is making it harder to treat opioid addiction and…

Energy Assistance Program Helps Older North Carolinians with Heating Costs

  The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Energy Assistance Program will begin accepting applications from older adults and people with disabilities on December 1, 2023. The federally funded program helps low-income households with a one-time payment sent directly to their heating vendor to offset the high cost of warming their homes during the cold…

Curi Capital to Merge with RMB Capital, Expanding Offerings for Physicians, PAs, and Their Families

  CHICAGO & RALEIGH, Nov. 21, 2023 – Curi, a national healthcare advisory firm comprised of three distinct businesses: Curi Advisory, Curi Capital and Curi Insurance, announced a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake of RMB Capital (“RMB”), a registered investment advisory firm with more than $9.6 billion in assets under advisement1. As part of the agreement, Curi Capital,…

Rosalynn Carter, Humanitarian, Mental Health Activist, and former First Lady, dies at 96

  (CNN - Keith Allen and Kate Andersen rower) -- Rosalynn Carter, who as first lady worked tirelessly on behalf of mental health reform and professionalized the role of the president’s spouse, died Sunday at the age of 96, according to the Carter Center. Rosalynn Carter passed away peacefully with family by her side at her home in Plains, Georgia, the center said in a statement. “Rosalynn…

Discontinuation Notice: Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus

  On December 31, 2023, GSK will discontinue all strengths of Flovent HFA and Flovent Diskus. The authorized generics, fluticasone propionate HFA (generic for Flovent HFA) and fluticasone propionate diskus (generic for Flovent Diskus), will be added as preferred on the NC Medicaid Preferred Drug List (PDL) effective December 1, 2023. According to the FDA, an authorized generic is an…

Helping New Mothers! National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is Ready in English and Spanish.

24/7, free, confidential hotline for pregnant and new moms in English and Spanish     Pregnancy and a new baby can bring a range of emotions. Many new moms feel overwhelmed, sad, anxious, or exhausted at different times during their pregnancy or after the baby is born. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can help, providing 24/7, free, confidential support before,…

NC Delegation Travels to AMA House of Delegates Interim Meeting – AMA Highlights

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Delegates to the American Medical Association (AMA) met in National Harbor, MD to discuss a wide-ranging list of issues.  The event brought together physician and medical student leaders from across the nation to shape guiding policies on emerging health care topics.  Over 100 resolutions were considered addressing topics impacting patient care and the profession, and more…

Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease Approved in UK. What Could this Mean for US?

  LONDON – Britain's medicines regulator has authorized the world's first gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease, in a move that could offer relief to thousands of people with the crippling disease in the U.K. In a statement on Thursday, the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which…

Wild and Weird Biology: Have Scientists Discovered the First “Vampire” Virus?

  In March 2020, Tagide deCarvalho saw something truly strange - something she thinks no other scientist has ever seen before: a virus with another, smaller virus latched onto its "neck." The backstory of this viral attachment is like a master class in how wild and weird biology can be. The two microbes are both bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, that were harvested from a…

US Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacting Every Facet of American Life, Including Health

 Report: Climate change is harming physical, mental, spiritual, and community health and well-being   (AP - Seth Borenstein and Tammy Webber) -- Revved-up climate change now permeates Americans’ daily lives with harm that is “already far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States,” a massive new government report says. The National Climate Assessment, which…

NC Medicaid Expansion Update: Provider and Member Flexibilities

  The Department has policy flexibilities for expansion members and providers treating those expansion members to ensure beneficiaries receive the care they need, while easing provider administrative burden. Unless otherwise noted, the below flexibilities apply to only expansion members. Providers can identify expansion members by checking the member’s eligibility in the NCTracks…

For First Time, Gene-Editing Provides Hints For Lowering Cholesterol

Preliminary results from a study show that gene-editing technology can be used to successfully treat a genetic disorder that increases the risk of heart disease. (Morning Edition - Rob Stein) --  For the first time, researchers have produced evidence that gene-editing can cut high cholesterol, a major risk factor for the nation's leading killer. Preliminary results from a study involving…

Tech Giant Offers Virtual and In-Person Health Care in North Carolina

  In February, Amazon acquired One Medical, which offers in-office and 24/7 virtual care services, on-site labs, and programs for preventative care, chronic care management, common illnesses, and mental health concerns. Now, Amazon is offering these health care benefits to its Prime members. The One Medical membership is $9 a month (or $99 annually), with the option to add up to five…

Lung Cancer Awareness Event Offers Free Screenings and Resources Tuesday

  Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center and Atrium Health Levine Cancer are holding a free lung cancer awareness fair, Tuesday, November 14 from 8 to 11 a.m. at Wake Forest Baptist’s Downtown Health Plaza, located at 1200 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Winston-Salem. The free event is open to all adults, regardless of insurance coverage, income level or…

US Childhood Vaccination Exemptions Reach Highest Level Ever, NC Exemptions Also Rising

More parents than ever are questioning routine childhood vaccinations   (AP - Mike Stobbe) -- The proportion of U.S. kindergartners exempted from school vaccination requirements has hit its highest level ever, 3%, U.S. health officials said Thursday. More parents are questioning routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, an effect of the political…

The Time is Now to Vaccinate Your Patients, FDA Greenlights Novavax Updated COVID Vaccine

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2023-2024 Formula) is now authorized and ACIP recommended The FDA granted emergency use authorization for Novavax's updated COVID vaccine   Now that Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2023-2024 Formula) has received FDA authorization for emergency use in the US for individuals aged 12 and older, it is also included in ACIP’s recommendation…

NCDHHS Contacting 300,000 People Eligible for Full Medicaid Benefits Starting December 1

  Up to 300,000 People Receiving Notifications of Benefits Starting Dec. 1 Because of Medicaid Expansion This week, NCDHHS began contacting up to 300,000 people via text messages, calls and emails who are enrolled in Medicaid’s limited family planning program to let them know they will be eligible for full NC Medicaid benefits starting Dec. 1. Up to 300,000 people who are enrolled in…

Spike in Syphilis Cases in Newborns Leading to Stepped-Up Prevention Measures

  Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. More than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis in 2022 — 10 times more than a decade ago and a 32% increase from 2021,…

After 4,000 Deaths, NC Company Developing Injectable Drug to Cut Down on ODs

  A Chapel Hill company is developing an injectable drug to cut down on deadly overdoses after more than 4,000 people in North Carolina died last year from fentanyl. Fentanyl is the number one killer of Americans ages 18 to 45, with opioids producing the worst drug crisis in the history of the United States. Chapel Hill-based Cessation Therapeutics says its monoclonal antibody…

Making Children Smile! Tech Transforms Casts into Works of Art

(Children's Hospital LA/Instagram)   (Courtesy:  Lauren Hando) -- This orthopedic technician can now add “artist” to his resume. Luis Ruiz, who works at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, transforms his young patients’ casts into adorable pieces of art. Ruiz has painted thousands of casts over the past decade or so, customizing the plaster with everything from cartoon characters to…

NCMB Discusses Results of 2023 Licensee Survey

  This episode of the North Carolina Medial Board's (NCMB) podcast, MedBoard Matters, discusses highlights from the results of the 2023 NCMB Licensee Survey, conducted in late summer. Although NCMB has periodically surveyed its licensees over the years, this year was the first survey conducted since the coronavirus pandemic. MedBoard Matters host and NCMB Communications Director Jean…

Construction Starts on New Behavioral Health Hospital in Greenville, NC

  GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU Health and Acadia Healthcare held a ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on its previously announced state-of-the-art, 144-bed behavioral health hospital in Greenville, North Carolina. The event occurred on the site of the new hospital – located at 2820 MacGregor Downs Road, Greenville, North Carolina 27834 – and celebrated the joint venture partnership…

New Advancements Could Make Cure for Sickle Cell Disease a Reality

The FDA is considering the first CRISPR gene editing treatment that may cure sickle cell. With sickle cell disease — also called sickle cell anemia — red blood cells take on a folded or sickle shape that can clog tiny blood vessels and cause progressive organ damage and pain, and can lead to organ failure. The sickle cells also die earlier than they should, which means the person is…

American Cancer Society Updates Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screenings

American Cancer Society: More people should get screened for lung cancer     The American Cancer Society (ACS) has updated its lung cancer screening recommendations, expanding the pool of current and former smokers who should be screened for it every year. New recommendations expand the age range for testing, to between 50 and 80. Previously, the age range had been 55 to…

NCDHHS to Livestream Fireside Chat and Tele-Town Hall TODAY!

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Thursday, November 2, from 6 to 7 p.m., to discuss how people can access support to help quit smoking, vaping or using tobacco, as well as other ways they can care for their health and manage stress. Event participants include: Vickie Fowler, M.D., Family Medicine Specialist,…

FDA Warning: Stop Using These Over-the-counter Eye Drop Products

FDA warns consumers not to purchase or use certain eye drops from several major brands due to risk of eye infection      FDA is updating the list of over-the-counter eye drop products consumers should not purchase or use to include Equate Hydration PF Lubricant Eye Drop 10 mL sold by Walmart in stores and online. Walmart is removing the product from their store shelves and…

NC Medicaid Updates: Maternity Coverage and Service Reimbursement

  In compliance with Session Law 2023-14 (SL 2023-14) and to further improve the maternity coverage for NC Medicaid members, NC Medicaid is making updates to maternity coverage. The information in this bulletin applies to both NC Medicaid Direct and NC Medicaid Managed Care. In accordance with SL 2023-14, NC Medicaid is making the following coverage and reimbursement updates, effective…

Present Your Work at the 2024 NC & SC OTO Annual Assembly

Call for Lecture Abstracts NC & SC Societies of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 2024 Annual Assembly July 12-14 at the Grove Park Inn   The NC and SC Societies of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery invite your participation at the 2024 Annual Assembly over the weekend of July 12-14, 2024 at The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. If you would…

Do You Wonder About Surgical Robots? NC System Is Answering Your Questions.

GREENSBORO –Imagine surgery with smaller incisions, fewer complications, less pain and a faster return to doing the things you love. Surgical robots are making that happen for increasing numbers of people. The public can see what the excitement is about at an open house Nov. 1 from 8:30 a.m.- 4:40 p.m. in the Medical Mall at Alamance Regional Medical Center. While surgical robots can’t perform…

NCDHHS Providing Instructions for Removal of NC Medicaid Direct Members

  NC Medicaid is providing Instructions for providers requesting removal of NC Medicaid Direct members from their patient panel. To have an NC Medicaid Direct member reassigned: Verify that members to be reassigned are active by using the NCTracks Recipient Eligibility Verification tool or by calling the NCTracks Call Center for more information: 800-688-6696 Send the list of…