A Message from NCTracks on Behalf of NC Medicaid Provider Update: NC Medicaid COVID-19

“Provider Update” is a regular communication to Medicaid and NC Health Choice providers to help keep them informed of statewide COVID-19 announcements and information. Please look for future updates to arrive through NCTracks.

This issue of Provider Update contains the following latest information on North Carolina’s COVID-19 response:

  • Know Your Ws
  • North Carolina Moves to Phase 1
  • What to Know About Cloth Face Coverings
  • NCDHHS COVID-19 Website Gets an Update
  • New Portal Opens to File Claims for COVID-19 Testing and Treatment of Uninsured Patients
  • Food and Nutrition Services Participants Can Now Use Benefits at Authorized Online EBT Retailers
  • School Buses to Serve as Wi-Fi Hot Spots for Remote Learning
  • Health Care Workers Being Matched to Facilities Seeking Staff
  • New Videos Available
  • New and Updated Guidance Posted

 

Know Your Ws

Wear. Wait. Wash. As North Carolina eases some COVID-19 restrictions, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is asking people to remember these three things to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve.

If you leave home, practice your Ws: Wear, Wait, Wash  

  • Wear a cloth face covering if you will be with other people. 
  • Wait six feet apart. Avoid close contact.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer. 

Help get the word out by sharing materials and posting on social media in English and Spanish. Encourage people to remember their 3 Ws: Wear, Wait, Wash.

 

North Carolina Moves to Phase 1

On Friday at 5 p.m., the Governor Cooper modified North Carolina’s Stay At Home Executive Order, transitioning the state to Phase 1 of slowly easing COVID-19 went into effect. Resources for business are available in English and Spanish online, including:

  • Executive Order 138 and FAQ
  • Fact Sheet on What’s New in Phase One (English and Spanish)
  • Interim Guidance for Owners, Staff and Patrons of Businesses (English and Spanish)
  • Checklist for Business Owners (English and Spanish)
  • Signage for Businesses (English and Spanish)
  • Symptom Screening Checklist 

 

What to Know About Cloth Face Coverings

Following CDC guidance, Executive Order 138 recommends that people wear a cloth face covering when they leave their house and may be less than six feet from other people who are not family or household members. Covering your face is about helping others and being a good neighbor and community member.

Learn more about cloth face coverings. (English / Spanish)

 

NCDHHS COVID-19 Website Gets an Update

Our COVID-19 website has a new look. The redesign is intended to make the site more user-friendly and easier to navigate. Visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov. 

 

New Portal Opens to File Claims for COVID-19 Testing and Treatment of Uninsured Patients

Health care providers and hospitals can use a new portal to request reimbursement for claims associated with COVID-19 testing and treatment of uninsured patients retroactive to Feb. 4, 2020. The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program Portal was launched by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support health care providers in delivering COVID-19 diagnostic testing and treatment at no cost to patients. It can be accessed at COVIDUninsuredClaim.linkhealth.com. 

 

Food and Nutrition Services Participants Can Now Use Benefits at Authorized Online EBT Retailers

North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services participants can purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at authorized online EBT retailers. The new flexibility allows participants to buy food while also promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and helping families with transportation and mobility barriers.

 

School Buses to Serve as Wi-Fi Hot Spots for Remote Learning

School buses are bringing internet access to communities without it to help more North Carolina students connect to school online. Governor Cooper announced the plan to equip more school buses with hotspots following the announcement that K-12 public schools would continue remote learning through the end of this school year. Read more.

 

Health Care Workers Being Matched to Facilities Seeking Staff

Due to COVID-19, many health care facilities in North Carolina, particularly long-term care facilities, are seeking to hire staff for temporary, part-time or full-time roles. There is an urgent need for Registered Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants, among other roles to supplement current workers and in some cases fill in for workers affected by COVID-19. Interested health care employees with the ability to pick up extra shifts or who may have been laid off from facilities and are seeking full-time roles can register here. Read more.

 

New Videos Available

Kody Kinsley, NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, discusses the second curve for COVID-19 – the behavioral health impacts.

More COVID-19 videos are online in English and Spanish.

 

New and Updated Guidance Posted