Author: Medicaid Clinical Section, 919-855-4360
On Jan. 31 ,2020, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced that Keystone Peer Review Organization, Inc. (KEPRO), received the contract as the Comprehensive Independent Assessment Entity (CIAE). KEPRO was selected based on a thorough and fair evaluation of responses submitted to the Request for Proposal released by the Department in March 2019.
The CIAE will streamline access to Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), providing beneficiaries a much-needed single point of entry for accessing Medicaid LTSS services and streamlining the process between initial contact and service enrollment. The CIAE will conduct assessments and screenings to determine eligibility for the following LTSS programs:
- State Plan Personal Care Services (PCS)
- Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C)
- Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA)
In addition, the CIAE will also provide management and oversight for the Pre-Admission Screening and Resident/Review process (PASRR) Level II and serve as North Carolina’s local contact agency (LCA) for nursing home residents who have requested information about options for less restrictive care settings.
The Department will provide additional information in the coming weeks regarding the onboarding of the new CIAE, the transition of services from the current vendor and phased initiation of services by KEPRO. Until that time, PCS providers should continue to submit PCS requests to Liberty. Medicaid will host Webinars in the next two weeks to provide the details of the transition plan for each of the affected program groups. Our process will ensure that Medicaid LTSS continue without disruption to our providers and beneficiaries.