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Charlotte AHEC Practice Support
December Newsletter
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 Tailored Care Management – Temporary Flexibilities and Program Changes
NCDHHS will implement temporary flexibilities and program changes for the four-month period between December 1, 2022, Tailored Care Management launch and March 31, 2023, the day before the start of Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Tailored Plans.
As a reminder, LME/MCOs will be expected to share the following data in a machine-readable format with AMH+ practices and CMAs, or their designated Clinically Integrated Networks (CINs) or other partners, for their attributed members to support Tailored Care Management:
- Beneficiary assignment information, including demographic data and any clinically relevant and available eligibility info.
- Pharmacy Lock-in data.
- Member claims/encounter data, including historical physical (physical health), behavioral health, and pharmacy (Rx) claims/encounter data with new data delivered monthly (physical health/behavioral health) or weekly (Rx).
Read the full bulletin for additional details.
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 Doctors and Clinician Preview Period is Coming
The Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period will officially open on November 21, 2022. You can preview your 2021 Quality Payment Program (QPP) performance information before it will appear on clinician and group profile pages on Medicare Care Compare and in the Provider Data Catalog.
You will be able to access the secured Preview through the QPP Website.
The Preview Period will close on December 20, 2022, at 8 PM ET (5 PM PT).
Please note the 2021 QPP performance information is planned for public reporting in 2023 and will be added to Care Compare and/or the PDC after all targeted reviews are completed.
If you have an open targeted review request, you’ll still be able to preview your 2021 QPP performance information during the Doctors and Clinicians Preview Period. If you have any questions about public reporting for doctors and clinicians on Care Compare, contact the QPP Service Center at 1-866-288-8292 (Monday-Friday 8 AM – 8 PM ET) or by e-mail at QPP@cms.hhs.gov .
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 MIPS – Small Practice Countdown to Performance Year 2022 Data Submissions
As the year comes to and end, MIPS reporting is on the 2023 horizon. QPP has outlined an easy checklist to help stay on track. Before the end of the year, ensure you have verified your eligibility, submitted any qualifying exception applications, complete your improvement activities and quality measures. Click here to access the landing page for the PDF.
Additionally, if you have not recently logged into your QPP, you may need to reset your password via your HARP account. This video tutorial can help you through that process.
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 Resources for a Respiratory Perfect Storm
With influenza and RSV ticking up significantly at the same time, there are opportunities to help patient stay healthy thig season by encouraging vaccines and prevention measures.
Here are a few resources and tips below that you may find helpful:
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 E/M office visit coding series: How to code visits in one or two questions
The 2021 rules for coding problem-oriented E/M office visits allow coding based solely on total time personally spent by the physician or on medical decision making (MDM). These changes create a big opportunity to shorten our documentation, focus on pertinent history, and produce more concise, useful notes. They also allow us to code more quickly and accurately.
FPM has published extensive information about the 2021 changes, including a four-step system for coding office visits.
To view the article and review the entire series from the American Academy of Family Physicians, click here.
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 Regulatory Reminders – Expiration Dates
Keeping track of expiration dates is an ongoing challenge but it is important for patient care. Most medical supplies and medications are given an expiration date to ensure the quality of the item. Expiration dates are typically found on the original packaging and should be checked before use in patient care. It is best practice to regularly round/inspect in the practice to identify any expired items and remove them from circulation. Common items found expired during rounding include, but not limited to:
- Epi-pens
- Opened Blood Sugar Test Strips – check your specific product for the expiration date after being opened, this date should be written on the container
- Point of Care Test Kits – ensure the Quality Check has also been done
- Cleaning Supplies – yep, these often have expiration dates too!
Make It Actionable! Round TODAY in your practice and ensure that your regulatory checklist includes looking for expired supplies and medications. If a certain item regularly is found expired, consider reevaluating supply management to help ensure safety/potency but also costs associated with throwing away products.
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 Office of Civil Rights: New Recognized Security Practices Video
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has produced a new video for organizations covered under the HIPAA Rules on Recognized Security Practices. Recommended security practices can help organizations improve their ability to safeguard patient information from cyberattacks and better safeguard the health care services we all rely upon. Section 13412 of the HITECH Act requires OCR to take into consideration in certain Security Rule enforcement and audit activities whether a regulated entity has adequately demonstrated that recognized security practices were “in place” for the prior 12 months.
To view the 30 minute presentation and learn more about staying in compliance, click here.
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| Charlotte AHEC - Part of the NC AHEC Program
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