Developing Federally Qualified Health Centers into Community ...

exchange could provide HIP care managers with easier access to information for all of
their patients.
Increasing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and trainings. HIP staff would
like opportunities to meet with their peers and share best practices. Several care managers
expressed a desire for in-person training sessions to complement the online Chronic Care
Professional regimen. For example, they pointed to motivational interviewing—a
technique through which a coach helps a patient overcome ambivalence and embrace
change—as an example of a key care management skill that might be more effectively
taught in person rather than through a distance-based method.
Care managers also want more comprehensive information on state Medicaid
policy. A key function of care managers is to help patients navigate Medicaid and the
broader safety-net system. HIP staff report that, while Medicaid officials are helpful in
responding to their questions on an ad hoc basis, a systemic approach to familiarizing
staff with important Medicaid policies such as eligibility requirements is needed.
There is a clear role for Montana Medicaid in bringing about these opportunities.
COMMUNITY CARE OF NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina Medicaid has cultivated a robust community network program that has
grown from an initial pilot of eight networks to a statewide operation of 14 networks
covering the state’s 100 counties. 15 Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) now
serves more than 1 million Medicaid beneficiaries and 4,200 Medicaid primary care
providers. As in Montana, the North Carolina network model was built on an existing
primary care case management platform. Both states aimed to improve quality by
developing local care coordination services.
Over the past 13 years, North Carolina networks have grown substantially to
better serve Medicaid providers and their patients. The networks now function as ―virtual
health centers,‖ providing care coordination and access to pharmacists, psychiatrists,
informatics specialists, and more. In addition, the clinical, quality, utilization, and data
administration for the local networks has moved from Medicaid to North Carolina
Community Care Networks (NCCCN), a nonprofit umbrella organization.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Like Montana, North Carolina sought a local approach to helping practices care for
complex patients. Unlike Montana, North Carolina left the network design in the hands of
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