NC Medicaid Managed Care Provider Update – May 22, 2023

Update includes provider verification, billing requirement modifications; Tailored Plan implementation, upcoming key milestones, playbook updates and more.

Provider Reverification

The federal PHE ended May 11, 2023, making reverification mandatory when the NCTracks provider record comes due.

Reverification notifications received beginning in May represent the required reverification process. Providers must respond to avoid adverse action to their NC Medicaid participation status. To assist providers with determining the due date of reverification, an updated Provider Recredentialing Due list is available on the Provider Enrollment Recredentialing page.

Billing Requirement Modifications Effective May 12, 2023

As a result of the end of the federal PHE, beginning with date of service May 12, 2023, NC Medicaid will end the temporary emergency flexibilities implemented for the disposition of three claims processing edits:

  • Edit 02437 and 02425 – Service Facility Provider Invalid or Not Active.
  • Edit 07025 – Rendering Provider Not Affiliated with Billing Provider.

These claim edits will change from “pay and report” to “deny.” To resolve the denials, providers must ensure that the Service Facility NPI on the claim is actively enrolled or that the individual rendering NPI on the claim is actively affiliated with the billing NPI on the claim as appropriate.

Implementation of Tailored Plans -- Start Date Oct. 1, 2023

The Oct. 1, 2023, start date allows Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans to contract with more providers to support member choice and to validate that data systems are working appropriately. For more information, please see Medicaid bulletin article NCDHHS Delays Implementation of the NC Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health and I/DD Tailored Plans.

Upcoming Key Milestone Dates for NC Medicaid Managed Care
June 16, 2023Last day for primary care providers (PCPs) to have fully executed contracts with Tailored Plans for inclusion at the start of the Beneficiary Choice Period.
July 15, 2023Tailored Plan Auto-Enrollment begins.
July 17, 2023Beneficiary Choice Period begins; Beneficiaries can choose a PCP and Tailored Care Management (TCM) provider by contacting their Tailored Plan
July 24, 2023Enrollment Broker begins mailing transition notices to beneficiaries.
Aug. 15, 2023Beneficiary Choice Period ends
Aug. 17, 2023Tailored Plans begin auto-assigning a PCP and TCM provider for beneficiaries that have not chosen one; Beneficiaries can begin scheduling Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) appointments
Aug. 25, 2023Tailored Plans begin mailing Welcome Packets to beneficiaries
Sept. 1, 2023Tailored Plan Pharmacy, Nurse and Behavioral Health Crisis lines go live
Oct. 1, 2023Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Tailored Plans launch

Provider Playbook Updates

The Provider Playbook is a collection of information and tools specifically designed to assist providers transitioning to NC Medicaid Managed Care. Providers are encouraged to regularly review each section for the latest information.

Keep NCTracks Provider Records Current

NC Medicaid recently announced a Provider Data Management/Credentialing Verification Organization Solution Coming in 2024. It is essential for providers to ensure all data in each active NCTracks provider record is accurate so when it is transmitted to the new vendor, it is correct.
   
To assist with this effort and allow for the organization and basic review of multiple records concurrently, the Department continues to offer Provider Directory Listing and Affiliation Reports for Standard Plans and Tailored Plans in the Provider Playbook.  These reports are updated regularly and also serve as a resource for verifying the contract status with health plans.

When using these reports, providers may filter to review information about multiple records simultaneously. A “Field Description” tab is available on the report that allows you to connect the section of the “Manage Change Request” (MCR) to the field in the report displaying the information. To review the NCTracks provider record in its entirety, providers may use the full MCR process in the NCTracks Secure Provider Portal. If outdated or erroneous information is found using either resource, the Office Administrator must submit the MCR to report the change.
 
The ongoing accuracy of provider enrollment information is not only contractually required of providers, but also vital to the successful sharing of data among health plans and the incorporation into new solutions. For additional information, see the related bulletin article Ensure Your Information Displays Correctly in NC’s Provider Directory Tool – Provider & Health Plan Look-Up.

Provider Ombudsman

Each health plan has a grievance and appeal process for providers, separate from the process for beneficiaries, which can be found in the health plan’s Provider Manual, linked on the Health Plan Contacts and Resources Page.

The Provider Ombudsman service is separate from the Health Plans’ Provider Grievances and Appeals process and should be used as an escalation after contacting Health Plans and searching the NC Medicaid Help Center.
 
Inquiries may be submitted to Medicaid.ProviderOmbudsman@dhhs.nc.gov or by calling the NC Medicaid Managed Care Provider Ombudsman at 866-304-7062.
 
Responses to inquiries are autogenerated from ServiceNow and sent directly to the inquirer's email address. The subject line will read “NC Medicaid Inquiry COM00XXXXX Has Been Closed” and be sent from this email address: IT Service Desk Medicaid.HelpCenter@dhhs.nc.gov.

Help Center Available for Providers to Find Information

The NC Medicaid Help Center is an online source of information about NC Medicaid Managed Care, COVID-19, Medicaid and behavioral health services, and is used to view answers to questions from the NC Medicaid Help Center mailbox, webinars and other sources. To use this tool:

  1. Go to NC Medicaid Help Center.
  2. Type a topic or key words into the search bar.
  3. Select a topic from the available list of categories.

Detailed information about the NC Medicaid Help Center is available in a Medicaid Bulletin updated on June 17, 2021.

NC Medicaid Managed Care Webinars

Visit the AHEC Medicaid Managed Care webpage for additional information and registration for upcoming webinars, as well as recordings, slides and transcripts from previous webinars.

The latest schedule, registration and information on previous webinars, including the recording, slides, and transcript are available on the AHEC Medicaid Managed Care website.

Contact

NCTracks Call Center: 800-688-6696
Provider Ombudsman: 866-304-7062

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