Statewide initiative launched to help children in the foster care system

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina’s six Local Management Entities (LME) and Managed Care Organizations (MCO) launched the NC Child and Family Improvement Initiative on May 1st, 2022.

The initiative was created to provide a solution to solve the current challenges of accessibility to child treatment services available.

Due to the early successes seen of the NC Child and Family Improvement Initiative, the LME/MCO’s are moving forward to formalize a statewide network of child treatment providers to ensure that children in the foster care system have full access to care without delay when moving from one area of the state to another.

Beginning on August 1st, 2022, all LME/MCOs are offering an open enrollment period for child treatment providers to make sure that children and adolescents have access to the services they need statewide.

In collaboration with local DSS agencies, service providers and members of LME/MCO Consumer and Family Advisory Committees (CFACs), the NC Child and Family Improvement Initiative workgroups continue their efforts to address the nine critical objectives identified as cornerstones of a statewide model that will support seamless access to quality care for children in foster care, regardless of where they live in North Carolina.

• Establish a statewide provider network to ensure access to residential treatment and the other services these youth need.

• Ensure a standardized, seamless process for children moving from one LME/MCO region to another or changing custody to a new DSS.

• Establish rapid access to care by reducing authorization barriers for residential treatment.

• Increase capacity for crisis care across the state.

• Co-locate LME/MCO care managers across North Carolina’s County and regional DSS offices, tailoring the approach to the unique needs of each county DSS.

• Establish a standardized reimbursement rate at 100% of the rate floor for out-of-network, community-based providers.

• Adopt standardized, child-specific In-Lieu-Of Services across all LME/MCOs.

• Develop a standardized, statewide referral system for all residential and Therapeutic Foster Care providers.

• Standardize case escalation frameworks in collaboration with local DSS departments.

North Carolina’s LME/MCOs include:

• Alliance Health
• Eastpointe Partners Health Management
• Sandhills Center
• Trillium Health Resources
• Vaya Health