Summary of Recommendations Part I. Recommendations To Improve Both Sickle Cell Disease and Maternal Health Outcomes Rural Health
• NC DHHS should convene a working group with two subcommittees—one for SCD and one for maternal health—to develop best practice standards for establishing hub and spoke models of care.
Transportation
• NC Medicaid should offer ridesharing as a form of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT). • NC Medicaid should provide NEMT tailored to the needs of pregnant and postpartum women.
Provider Bias Training
• NC DHHS should expand and improve its implicit bias training requirements to include perinatal and SCD providers.
Non-Medical Drivers • NC DHSS should increase resources in NCCARE360 and CBOs to ensure their ability to address non-medical drivers of health. of Health
Data Gaps
• NC DHHS should ensure the public has access to timely and useful data.
Part II. Sickle Cell Disease Recommendations Care Management
Access to Care and Services
10
• Pediatric to Adult Transition Care Models. NC Medicaid should encourage support during the transition of pediatric patients with SCD into adult care. • Primary and Specialty Care Coordination. NC Medicaid should invest in the development of a network of primary care providers (PCPs) knowledgeable about the treatment of SCD and should implement additional financial incentives for care coordination between PCPs and SCD experts. • DPH Existing Programs. NC DHHS should support legislation to increase funding for the NC Sickle Cell Syndrome Program to ensure continuous care and treatment for people with SCD. • Telehealth. NC Medicaid should cover physician and hospital outpatient telehealth services at parity for people with complex care needs, including the Medicaid population that experiences SCD. • Sickle Cell Day Hospitals. NC DHHS should bolster established SCD day hospitals in North Carolina.
