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Welcome to the Smoky Mountain MCO Provider Network Bulletin. This monthly bulletin features news you need to know as a provider in the Smoky network and information you need to do business with Smoky.
Smoky manages public funds for mental health, substance use and intellectual or developmental disability services in 23 counties in western North Carolina. It is our pleasure to work with you to serve the needs of our local residents. |
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Spring cleaning.
For many of us, it feels almost like a biological imperative. As the sun begins to linger in the sky, extending the days and breaking the winter chill, dust bunnies come out of hibernation. Windows are thrown open to let in the fresh air while every surface, nook and cranny is washed, wiped or polished.
In business, spring is a fitting time to do a clean sweep of habits, behaviors, policies and procedures that can have a negative impact on the workplace and on the health of the organization itself. With the changes Medicaid reform will bring to our system, organizational spring cleaning is more than just a good idea--it's necessary.
As a valued member of our provider network, what is on your list for spring cleaning? I encourage you to consider the questions below:
- Do you have an electronic health record?
- Are you investing in technology to enhance your services and supports?
- Are you engaged in whole person collaborative care?
- How are you collaborating with other community partners?
- Are you developing an expertise to be competitive?
- Are your ready for "pay for performance" contracts?
Spring cleaning.
It requires considerable discipline and plenty of elbow grease, but the results are well worth the effort.
Smiling to your heart,
Christina
P.S. If investing in technology is on your spring cleaning list, mark your calendars for Carolina HealthTEC Live on May 27. Event details are below.
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Smoky general information
All Smoky departments and staff can be reached at 828-586-5501.
Administrative headquarters
Smoky Mountain MCO
200 Ridgefield Court, Suite 206
Asheville, NC 28806
Provider questions
Call 1-866-990-9712, send an email to
or contact your account specialist
Confidential Compliance Hotline
(To report suspected fraud or abuse): Report online or call 1-866-916-4255, 24 hours a day
AlphaMCS technical support
Call 828-586-5501, ext. 1500, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Incident reporting
Call 828-586-5501, ext. 5094 or 1104.
More information
Visit the Smoky website for more about:
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UPDATES: PROVIDER
ADVISORY
COUNCIL
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Smoky's Provider Advisory Council is representative of different types of providers practicing throughout our 23-county catchment area. To find out more, view Council meeting minutes and get information about upcoming events, go to the Council's page on the Smoky website.
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UPCOMING TRAININGS & EVENTS
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April 21 - 23, 2016
Asheville, North Carolina
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Visit these sites for additional training opportunities:
Click here to view the NC Council of Community Programs calendar
Click here to view the MAHEC calendar
Click here to view the Northwest AHEC calendar |
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Carolina HealthTEC Live to bring cutting-edge technology to WNC
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 Carolina HealthTEC Live is the premier behavioral health technology conference and expo in the Southeast. Proudly sponsored by Smoky, the event is open to providers, policymakers for mental health, intellectual and developmental disability and substance use issues and individuals receiving these services.
Carolina HealthTEC Live is an interactive opportunity for industry members to share and evaluate the latest advances in technology enabled care (TEC). Guided discussions about the application of TEC will address specific regional challenges, helping participants identify gaps in the behavioral health care continuum and solutions to strengthen our system. This unique event will also afford attendees the opportunity to hear from internationally-known, innovative leaders in the mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities and substance use disorder fields: Dr. Gabor Mate, Lynne Seagle and Luis Perez.
Your attendance at Carolina HealthTEC Live is a step forward in providing the most advanced care to our area's most vulnerable populations.
Visit the event website to pre-register or for more information.
(Approval pending for N.C. Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board CEUs)
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New crisis facility coming to Caldwell County
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Smoky is happy to announce the groundbreaking of a new crisis facility in Caldwell County on April 12, 2016. This project has been in development since 2011, and the start of this construction represents another important piece of Smoky's Reinvest 2016 initiative. The new facility has a projected completion date of October 2016 and is called CaldwellC3.
CaldwellC3 began as a vision in 2011. It is the new name for the comprehensive care center under renovation and development in Lenoir, North Carolina.
A major goal of the CaldwellC3 is to provide crisis prevention, early intervention, response and stabilization services and support as an alternative to emergency department (ED) visits. In combination with the law enforcement Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), CaldwellC3 offers the opportunity for better outcomes for law enforcement and individuals in behavioral health crisis. The facility also provides an alternative for someone who is under involuntary commitment for a psychiatric illness, as well as those seeking voluntary admission.
What services will be offered at CaldwellC3 and by whom?
RHA Health Services, Inc. (RHA) will operate the 12-bed, facility-based crisis and non-medical detox center. This facility is:
- Co-located with RHA's existing and operational outpatient services site, which is a central and accessible location
- A renovation of approximately 2000 square feet of existing space, with the addition of approximately 5200 square feet of new construction
- A continuum of services under one roof, allowing for crisis stabilization, treatment engagement, prevention and early intervention to happen in one safe, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented location
Is the Comprehensive Care Center only for Caldwell County residents?
The comprehensive care center will serve residents of Caldwell, Alexander and McDowell, as well as surrounding counties.
Note: As a part of this project, RHA is expanding the comprehensive care center located in McDowell County. Within that expansion are extended hours of operation and the development of BHUC observation and advanced medical clearance prior to transport to Caldwell's facility-based crisis center.
When will the facility-based crisis beds at the Comprehensive Care Center open?
The comprehensive care center is currently operational for walk-in and outpatient services.
This renovation, construction and design plan was approved by the Caldwell County Board of Commissioners at the Caldwell County Commissioners' meeting on May 18, 2015.
The projected date for completion of the construction is October 21, 2016, with beds being available for occupancy by the end of the calendar year.
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Smoky-led training brings clarity to Innovations Waiver Technical Amendment
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Last month, Smoky staff led targeted trainings on the Innovations Waiver Technical Amendment. "Supporting Individual Success: 2016 Innovations Waiver Implementation" was attended by more than 300 professionals who will work to transition waiver participants as required by the amendment.
The DMA and the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS) announced on February 22 that the implementation date for the Technical Amendment would be delayed until July 1, 2016. Despite the delay, Smoky staff and the Innovations Stakeholders Committee agreed that the scheduled trainings would offer an opportunity for sharing available information and dispelling misconceptions surrounding amendment implementation. Feedback from attendees was positive and appreciative:
"The training was very helpful not only on the changes being made but on service delivery in general."
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lives--good flow to the information."
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"Thank you for being honest and straightforward about what is known and unknown."
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North Carolina Support Needs Assessment Profile training registration
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The North Carolina Support Needs Assessment Profile (NC-SNAP) is a needs assessment tool that, when administered properly, measures an individual's level of intensity of need for developmental disabilities (DD) supports and services. Currently, all persons in North Carolina who have a DD diagnosis and receive, or are waiting to receive, DD supports must have an NC-SNAP administered annually.
Regularly scheduled NC-SNAP examiner training is held monthly on Dorothea Dix campus in Raleigh. All persons (except Developmental Center staff) are required to register through area MCO training coordinators.
Smoky NC-SNAP Training Coordinator:
David Boyd
1-800-893-6246, ext. 1179
Download the complete training schedule and please note the August 1, 2016 training will be held at Smoky's administrative headquarters in Asheville. We hope to see you there! |
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Email updates from Smoky's credentialing team
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 Members of Smoky's credentialing team can now receive emails up to the 30 megabytes (MB).
After sending an email to the Smoky credentialing team, you will receive an auto reply confirming receipt of your message. If you do not receive the auto reply, please contact a member of the credentialing team at (855) 432-9139.
For providers using AOL email addresses:
Please be aware that Smoky is having difficulties receiving emails from AOL email addresses, but we are are working to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience.
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Care Management update: Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths assessments now required
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Providers of services for children under age six must use the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Comprehensive Assessment prior to requesting or delivering services. CANS is an open domain tool for use in service delivery systems that address the mental health of children, adolescents and their families to support care planning and decision making.
Staff members who administer the CANS are not required to be licensed clinicians, but must complete the online training and pass the training test. Providers should maintain certificates of training completion for staff responsible for administering the CANS.
Providers should train on the current CANS 0-4 tool, which the developer has verified is appropriate for children through age 5.
Timelines for completion of the CANS are below:
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Child receiving enhanced Medicaid services that require authorization
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Initial CANS should be administered within the first authorization period and included in the first concurrent authorization request
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Updated CANS should be completed if enhanced services will be provided for more than six months and with each concurrent request thereafter
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Child receiving enhanced Medicaid services that
do not require prior authorization
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Initial CANS should be administered within the first month of service and a copy should be maintained in consumer record
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Updated CANS should be completed when the annual Person Centered Plan is updated
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Care Management reminders
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 Helpful reminders from Care Management:
1. When submitting initial requests for enhanced services that require a recent Comprehensive Clinical Assessment (CCA), the care management team looks for a CCA or an addendum to have been completed within the last 30 days. Please include the initial CCA being referenced when submitting an addendum.
2. A current/updated medication list (including all psychotropic, medical and OTC medications) should be submitted with each Service Authorization Request (SAR), including the date he medications were last reviewed. The Comprehensive Crisis Plan should contain the most updated list of medications.
Questions? Please contact Care Management at 1-800-893-6246, ext. 1513.
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Smoky Mountain MCO manages publicly funded services for mental health, substance use and intellectual and developmental disabilities in the North Carolina counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.
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For immediate help in a crisis, information about services, screenings and treatment referrals, call 1-800-849-6127, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week (TTY: Call Relay NC 711). Visit us online at www.smokymountaincenter.com.
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