Governor Pat McCrory Congratulates NCTracks Team NCTracks Call Center Hours Extended | Eastern North Carolina Now

    For Immediate Release:

    Raleigh, NC     Governor Pat McCrory joined Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Aldona Wos and DHHS CIO Jo​e Cooper today to visit the NCTracks call center and command center. Governor McCrory congratulated DHHS, and its vendor CSC, on NCTracks' successes that include processing more than 4 million claims since July 1 and paying many Medicaid claims a full week ahead of schedule. McCrory also thanked the teams for their work in helping North Carolina providers through this transition period.

    "Efficiency and modernization of our state's out-of-date IT systems is a top priority for my administration," said Governor McCrory. "I congratulate Secretary Wos, Joe Cooper and the entire NCTracks team for a successful first few days of operations. The hard work and bold leadership at DHHS is what pushed this critical IT project over the finish line and North Carolina is thankful for that."

    Over the weekend, teams from DHHS and CSC successfully completed the first checkwrite and adjudicated 2.25 million claims from the first week of operations. Total payments to North Carolina providers this week will exceed $137 million, which includes payment for all backlogged claims that had accumulated in the 10-day transition from old to new claims systems. Providers received detailed claims information -- including explanations of payments or denials -- in their online NCTracks mailboxes today. Electronic payments are scheduled for Wednesday.

    "When we arrived in Raleigh in January, we couldn't shy away from some of the largest technology problems facing our state," said Secretary Wos. "NCTracks is processing and paying claims so well after its first week in operation, we are paying many claims a full week ahead of schedule. We are continuing to address specific technical issues as they come up, but this should be welcome news to North Carolina's hospitals, long-term care facilities, physicians, dentists and pharmacies."

    The DHHS and CSC response teams continue to work on a 24/7 basis in the first weeks of operations to prioritize and tackle any technical and performance issues as they are found. DHHS and CSC expanded call center hours this week to be as responsive as possible to providers during the transition period.

    As high call volumes are expected to continue, CSC is adding extra call center agents to alleviate the higher-than-normal hold times. To potentially avoid long hold times, providers with issues or questions can:

    Research answers online at www.nctracks.nc.gov, which features provider announcements and Frequently Asked Questions.

    Attend online or in-person training.

    Online training modules are still available 24/7 for providers to learn how to use the new system at their own pace. Additionally, DHHS and CSC are holding a series of scheduled interactive information sessions this week and regional training sessions beginning July 16. Providers can find a complete schedule on the NCTracks portal, www.nctracks.nc.gov.

    Joe Cooper, DHHS CIO, explained that one of the contributing factors to long wait times may be that less than 20% of providers attended training sessions prior to the system's launch date: "Until our provider partners are comfortable with system operations, call volumes and wait times are likely to remain elevated for the next several weeks. We continue to urge providers to take advantage of online and instructor-led training opportunities."

    NCTracks went into operation July 1 as the first multi-payer claims system in the nation. Each year, NCTracks will process more than 88 million claims to more than 70,000 healthcare providers totaling $12 billion that cover the services provided to more than 1.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries. The system will also promote information sharing and efficiencies by consolidating several other aging computer systems in Public Health, Mental Health and Rural Health, which will:

    Decrease the likelihood of fraud and abuse by making available more provider, recipient and claims data.

    Improve operations for the state, providers and recipients by switching providers from a paper to a digital submission process. (At least 57 forms have been eliminated.)

    Accelerate processing/adjudication times.

    Improve cash flow. (Providers will be paid 50 times a year, almost weekly; up from 42.)

    Provide for electronic submissions for claims, prior authorization, enrollment, inquiry options, and attachments - saving money and time.


    Contact: Crystal Feldman
      govpress@nc.gov