Acentra Health has been awarded the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Comprehensive Independent Assessment Entity contract for the state Medicaid program.
The contract includes a 3-year base term valued at $56.9 million and two 1-year extension options totaling $41.9 million.
“We are delighted to partner with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in creating a best-in-class experience for beneficiaries and providers in accessing long-term support services,” said Acentra Health CEO Todd Stottlemyer.
Under the contract, Acentra Health will implement and operate the state’s new clinical delivery model, the NC Medicaid Linking Individuals & Families for Long Term Services and Supports. This will create a single point of access for multiple long-term services and supports programs, and enable timelier access for beneficiaries deemed eligible to receive Medicaid LTSS.
“Acentra Health’s referral and request processing teams are highly skilled and receive intensive training on delivering person-centered interactions that help our state Medicaid agency clients accelerate better health outcomes for the populations they serve,” Stottlemyer said.
Acentra Health will also partner with NCDHHS to streamline access to its LTSS programs in NC Medicaid Direct, which will reduce the time between initial intake and service enrollment for beneficiaries. When this work is done, the individual programs will be branded as NCLIFTSS.
This simplified program will include State Plan Personal Care Services, Community Alternatives Program for Children, Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults, Preadmission Screening and Resident Review Level II and Transition of Care Coordination.
Acentra Health will process NCLIFTSS referrals, conduct assessments and eligibility for program enrollment and use, perform quality assurance reviews, staff a beneficiary/member LTSS resource line and perform outreach to underserved LTSS beneficiaries.
“Acentra Health has over three decades of experience providing assessment and eligibility services for state Medicaid programs and today processes and manages over 700,000 referral requests annually,” said Meghan Harris, Acentra Health’s president and chief operations officer. “We look forward to working with NCLIFTSS to improve care quality and enhance outcomes for North Carolinians needing long term services and supports.”