APRIL 27, 2021 | COMMUNICATION BULLETIN ISSUE 72 IN THIS ISSUE: 2021 Community Needs Assessment Survey | Q&A Webinar for Vaya Health Network Providers | March 2021 COVID-19 Hardship Payment Request Deadline – LAST CALL | AMH+/CMA Learning Community | Tailored Care Management Desk Review Guide and Scoring Tool | Buncombe County Offering COVID-19 Vaccinations to Homebound Residents | N.C. DHHS: Older Teens Able to Consent for COVID-19 Vaccination | DHHS Pilot Project: Enhanced Access to Sign Language Interpreters and Provider Reimbursement | USDA Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant Program
YOUR HEALTH, YOUR VOICE: 2021 Community Needs Assessment Survey Open through Friday, April 30, 2021 We want to hear from you about your experience with mental health, substance use and intellectual and/or developmental disability services in western North Carolina. Visit www.vayahealth.com/cnas , then select the survey option that best describes you: Vaya Members and Family Members (Relatives and Natural Supports) Community Stakeholders and Vaya Network Providers Vaya requests that network providers and community stakeholders post and share the survey flyer to increase the number of survey participants and help us better understand the needs of local communities. Survey answers will remain anonymous. Have questions? Email GapsandNeeds_Survey@vayahealth.com .
Q&A Webinar for Vaya Health Network Providers Friday, April 30, 2021, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Q&A Webinars for Vaya Network Providers take place every two weeks and are an important source of the most up-to-date information. Registration is not required. All Vaya network providers are encouraged to join.
Q&A WEBINAR FOR VAYA NETWORK PROVIDERS – APRIL 30, 2021
March 2021 COVID-19 Hardship Payment Request Deadline – LAST CALL COVID-19 Provider Hardship Form submissions for March 2021 payments are due Friday, April 30, 2021. Starting Saturday, May 1, Vaya will begin accepting hardship requests from providers that meet established criteria and are exhibiting a financial hardship for April dates of service as evidenced by their April billed claims. Vaya will allow hardship requests until the end of North Carolina’s Phase 3. Learn more: COVID-19 Provider Hardship Form
AMH+/CMA Learning Community Thursday, April 29, 2021, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Vaya is developing an ongoing learning community for network providers interested in or actively pursuing Advanced Medical Home+ (AMH+)/Care Management Agency (CMA) certification. Our new Learning Community will provide helpful information, important updates, training, collaboration and support as we move toward implementation of the Behavioral Health and I/DD Tailored Plan. The Learning Community will meet virtually on the last Thursday of each month. The kickoff meeting will be held on Thursday, April 29, 2021, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. If you are interested in participating in the Learning Community, please register for the April 29 meeting here. If you have not completed the AMH+/CMA Interest Survey for Vaya Network Providers , please do so here. The survey only takes a few minutes and will help us schedule Learning Community topics that will best assist our providers.
Tailored Care Management Desk Review Guide and Scoring Tool DHHS continues to prepare for the launch of Behavioral Health and I/DD Tailored Plans on July 1, 2022. To provide guidance for providers applying for AMH+ or Care Management Agency (CMA) certification, the Department has released a draft Tailored Care Management Desk Review Guide and Scoring Tool. The tool is available on the NC Medicaid Tailored Care Management webpage under Resources. DHHS will use this document during the desk review phase of the certification process to score AMH+/CMA provider applicants. Providers that pass the desk review will move on to the site review portion of the certification process. Learn more .
COVID-19 NEWS AND UPDATES Buncombe County Offering COVID-19 Vaccinations to Homebound Residents Buncombe County has partnered with Meals on Wheels and Mission Health Partners’ Caremedics to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to homebound residents. For more information, call 828-419-0095.
N.C. DHHS: Older Teens Able to Consent for COVID-19 Vaccination Teenagers aged 16 and 17 are now eligible for coronavirus vaccination in all 50 states. Of the currently FDA-authorized vaccines, Pfizer’s vaccine can be used in people as young as 16, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized only for adults 18 and older at this time. In North Carolina, N.C.G.S. § 90-21.5 gives minors with decisional capacity the legal authority to consent for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a reportable communicable disease. Per N.C. DHHS , COVID-19 is a reportable disease pursuant to rules of the Public Health Commission, and minors with decisional capacity may consent for COVID-19 vaccination. Decisional capacity is a person’s ability to understand their health status and health care needs and options, and to make a decision about them. Please note that under HIPAA, if the minor alone consents, the minor also controls access to their health information.
DHHS Pilot Project: Enhanced Access to Sign Language Interpreters and Provider Reimbursement The N.C. Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DSDHH) and NC Medicaid are launching a pilot initiative to improve communication access in approved healthcare settings for Medicaid beneficiaries who are deaf, deaf/blind and/or hard of hearing. Through this initiative, DHHS will reimburse providers for communication access services such as sign language interpreters, amplification devices and Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART). Learn more in the DSDHH Spring 2021 Newsletter.
USDA Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for funding under the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant Program (DLT). This program helps rural communities acquire the technology and training necessary to connect educational and medical professionals with students, teachers and patients in rural areas. Applications must be received no later than June 4, 2021. Learn more: USDA DTL Fact Sheet
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