Note: SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #39 replaces SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #8: Face-to-Face Provider Site Visits and Fingerprinting Requirements Temporarily Suspended Due to COVID-19 Outbreak. Changes to the prior Bulletin are:
- NC Medicaid recently announced that due to the COVID-19 outbreak, NCDHHS has suspending face-to-face site visits and fingerprinting requirements. This article is to clarify that these suspensions are applicable only to NC Medicaid provider enrollment applications.
- Zoom, the video conferencing application, is no longer an option for the site visit.
NC Medicaid’s vendor, Public Consulting Group (PCG), will temporarily discontinue visiting providers at its service locations to satisfy the NC Medicaid provider enrollment site visit requirement and will instead conduct visits virtually or by phone. This action is being taken to further protect the health and safety of North Carolina providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. If the virtual or telephonic “site” visit will cause a hardship during this timeframe, please advise PCG and at a later time, NC Medicaid will require the site visit.
Until further notice, PCG will take the following steps to satisfy a virtual or telephonic “site” visit:
a. The provider designee will consent to using Face Time, WebEx or any other secure method for the site visit. The screening team member is required to utilize a company issued iPad or computer from PCG to conduct the visit.
b. If a provider does not have access to a virtual site visit as an option, the reviewer is able to conduct the site visit over the phone as a last resort to comply with the site visit requirement.
c. The provider or designee will show the NC team member a copy of a valid, government issued ID or driver’s license. If the site visit is being conducted over the phone, the provider is required to send a photo to the reviewer’s phone or email.
d. The NC team member will take a photo of the ID and attach it to the report submitted for reference and document the number of the ID or license in Question #1 of the NC 4.0 checklist.
e. The screening will be conducted by completing the NC checklist 4.0.
f. Pictures will be taken of the outside of the facility or organization and submitted with the report. If PCG has conducted a site visit prior at the location within the last 12 months, the screener will use the existing photos found in the completed queue inside the application and no travel is required.
g. The team member will make a reference on the summary page that a virtual site visit or phone interview was conducted and with whom it was conducted.
h. The team member is responsible for sending the completed Notification letter to the provider in a PDF format.
i. The report must be submitted to NC QA by Friday COB the week the visit was conducted.
The SBI fingerprinting that normally takes place at the local Sherriff’s office for providers enrolling in NC Medicaid is also suspended at this time. All temporarily suspended cases will be addressed at a later date. Applications pending fingerprinting will be forced through the queue by NCTracks effective immediately.
Author: GDIT, (800) 688-6696