NCCARE360 Brings State’s Seven Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations Into Its Network To Coordinate Whole-Person Health | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH, NC     NCCARE360, the nation's first statewide coordinated care network connecting individuals to local services and resources, announced today that all seven of North Carolina's behavioral health managed care organizations have joined the NCCARE360 network and will use the platform to coordinate whole-person care, promote health equity, and address the social drivers that influence their beneficiaries' health.

    The seven organizations, called Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations or LME/MCOs, are responsible for managing and monitoring the provision of public mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorder services for people who are uninsured or are covered by Medicaid. LME/MCOs will use NCCARE360 in the regions they serve to better connect people across North Carolina who need critical services including food, housing, transportation, mental health services, and employment.

    "LME/MCOs have deep experience in serving populations with significant behavioral health needs, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities," said Dave Richard, Deputy Secretary of NC Medicaid. "LME/MCOs will use NCCARE360 as the infrastructure to strengthen connectivity between care providers, case management, and community-based organizations in an effort to reduce barriers, promote equity, and deliver better health for the people they serve and their communities."

    NCCARE360 will allow LME/MCOs to make electronic referrals, communicate in real time, securely share client information, and track outcomes through the Unite Us Platform. Community members can search NCCARE360's repository of more than 10,000 local services HERE or access resources by contacting NCCARE360 Navigators through HERE.

    "We are excited to welcome the LME/MCOs to the platform and amplify their impact by quickly connecting people to multiple providers across all medical and non-medical service types and allowing them to seamlessly coordinate care across a community-wide care team," said Danika Mills, North Carolina State Director, Unite Us.

    North Carolina's LME/MCOs recently completed a Request for Application to become Behavioral Health and I/DD Tailored Plans under North Carolina's continued path towards Medicaid Managed Care transformation. Under Medicaid transformation, Tailored Plans will provide physical health, behavioral health, long-term care, pharmacy services and unmet health-related resource needs to qualifying North Carolinians under one plan. These plans will provide the same services as Standard Plans but will also provide additional, specialized services that serve individuals with significant behavioral health conditions, I/DDs and traumatic brain injuries.

    "As the state moves closer to launching Medicaid managed care, bringing the LME/MCOs onto the NCCARE360 platform is an exciting step," said Kelly Calabria, CEO and President of the Foundation for Health Leadership & Innovation, which oversees and administers NCCARE360. "The purpose of NCCARE360 is to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians by recognizing there are many aspects that affect our health. Today's announcement is an important step in achieving this purpose."

    Since the development of NCCARE360's statewide network, health and human service providers in all 100 North Carolina counties have made more than 100,000 electronic referrals to connect individuals and families to the resources they need to stay healthy and well.