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	Enjoy our participant highlight on Kristin Johnston Ballard, MSN, DNP-BC March 2024 The Community Practitioner Program strives to increase access to quality healthcare for the underserved of North Carolina. The program's participants are committed to this mission. Where We Stand
	Hot Topics
	The Community Practitioner Program Needs Your Feedback to Improve the Medicaid Clinician Experience in 2024. NCMS's partners, Carolina Complete Health (CCH) and Carolina Complete Health Network (CCHN) will host their 2nd Annual Medicaid Managed Care Town Hall at the 2024 CPP Annual Meeting during NCMS LEAD Conference in November. In preparation for that session, we want to hear from clinicians across North Carolina that provide care to Medicaid enrollees. Please share your experiences, challenges and successes, suggestions, and questions to help inform future programs, resources, opportunities, and collaborations that will improve health outcomes and enhance the overall care experience for Medicaid clinicians and enrollees. All Medicaid clinicians are invited to complete this form, regardless of contract status with any of the PHPs. Click here Advocacy in Action! There is power in numbers, and a great way to demonstrate that is by joining your colleagues for a day of legislative engagement in Raleigh! We'll gather at the NCMS headquarters in the morning for a brief overview of the day (and breakfast!). Learn about the latest developments at the NC General Assembly and the best messaging to use when meeting with your legislators. Then head down to the Legislative Building to meet one-on-one with your representatives and attend committee meetings on important healthcare issues. We'll wrap up the day with a Legislative Reception at the NC Museum of History. Share your experiences from the day with other attendees and NCMS staff while enjoying light hors d'oeuvres and drinks! View the agenda and Register here. Financial Assistance Now Available for Providers Impacted by the Change Healthcare Outage. Independent providers in need of financial assistance because of the Change Healthcare outage, and meet the criteria, may now apply for an interest-free loan through Blue Cross NC. Here's what you need to know.
CPP Practice Job Board
	Click here to view current openings. Contact us, if your practice has an opening you would like to post.
Educational Opportunities
	NC Medicaid Managed Care Special Webinar NC Medicaid is launching a Total Cost of Care Dashboard for Advanced Medical Homes. Join this webinar for an overview of the dashboard and its metrics, walk through the login process, and more. Learn more Practical Pediatrics Conference 2024 Northwest AHEC is holding this in-person conference in Winston-Salem April 12th -13th. The event offers CME credit and is designed for pediatricians, as well as family medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses who provide care to infants, children and adolescents. Learn more CME Series for Opioid Use Prescribers The North Carolina Medical Board and Wake AHEC, in collaboration with the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation / Project VBOT and the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program at UNC School of Medicine, have developed an eight-hour CME series that meets the new training requirement recently established by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Learn more
CPP Participant Highlight
	Kristin Johnston Ballard, MSN, DNP-BC Wilmington Health Today's Care \| New Hanover County 1. What is a quote that has had a significant influence on your life, and why? "The essence of life is to serve others and do good." – Aristotle This quote has rung true in every walk of nursing I have been blessed to be a part of. Initially as a pediatric nurse and then a child advocacy provider, my service to others was good for my soul and very fulfilling. Nursing is a field based on serving others, and I continue to initiate the same goal to serve my patients/families in my daily work. 2. Where are you from originally? I am from Brunswick County, North Carolina, was raised in Oak Island, NC and migrated to Bolivia, NC about 5 years ago. 3. How did you decide to become a physician? I decided I wanted to be a nurse/provider after having my daughter at a very young age. I was blessed with a wonderful nursing staff during my hospitalization and my experience/interactions with them made me decide to become a nurse. 4. What do you like about practicing in an underserved area? One of the most rewarding things about practicing medicine in an underserved area is being able to provide access to services for patients who otherwise would not have routine healthcare/screenings. 5. Is your practice using any tools to address social determinates of health for patients? In our Family Medicine Clinic, we utilize The American Academy of Family Physicians Short Screening Tool to screen for potential needs/social determinants in our patients. 6. How has Medicaid Transformation/Expansion affected your practice? Since the expansion, my clinic has seen a large increase in access to care for both mental health and, more specifically, substance abuse, which has helped the overall health of the population we serve. Access to care is essential, especially during a crisis, which in turn also affects overall wellness care. 7. Do you have any hobbies or activities for self-care? I enjoy riding horses and spending time outdoors on our farm. Is there anything that CPP can do to help you and your practice? Not that I can think of, I feel that CPP has been a phenomenal asset to my schooling as well as supporting continuing education.
Upcoming Meetings
	1. 2024 CPP Annual Meeting - Celebrating 35 Years! Mark your calendar! Friday, November 1 Grandover Resort & Spa \| Greensboro, NC All CPP and CPP 2.0 participants are required to attend. Registration Information Coming Soon! 2. 2024 Winter Family Physicians Weekend Practice Optimization Seminar Hosted by the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians (NCAFP) Friday, December 6 Omni Grove Park Inn \| Ashville, NC This is a one-time requirement for CPP participants within the 1st or 2nd year of their CPP agreement. CME is provided Registration Information Coming Soon!
CPP Initiatives
	1. Have You Ever Considered Precepting? The Community Practitioner Program is exploring avenues that could provide support to preceptors in rural and underserved areas in NC, which are facing major shortages in the healthcare workforce. More than half of current CPP participants serve as preceptors. To learn more about becoming a preceptor Click Here. 2. Join NC CARE 360 Here! Be a part of the first statewide resource and referral network that unites healthcare and human service organizations through a shared technology - a great tool for delivering person-centered care to your patients. If your practice has not already onboarded, contact us as soon as possible. Click Here to Onboard 3. Stop & Take the Pledge for Diabetes Prevention. The pledge demonstrates your willingness to support diabetes prevention in NC. The National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) is a lifestyle change program that has free or low-cost options for patients, regardless of their insurance provider and you can refer using any of these convenient platforms: OCHI (Our Community Health Initiative), NC CARE 360 and the DPP Navigator. Click Here to Pledge 4. Interested in Leadership Development? If you are a CPP participant who is a MD, DO or PA, you are eligible to be sponsored by CPP to the Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership’s (KIPL) Leadership College (LC) and Health Care Leadership & Management (HCLM) classes of 2024. We pay the tuition…you go to school. To enjoy project-based curriculum designed to foster leadership skills and help you build your network in the health care community, contact us and answer the following questions:Continued here Are you supporting CPP’s programmatic initiatives (i.e. Take the Pledge, NC CARE 360, preceptorship, etc.)? Are you doing anything within your practice or community that we should take note of? Do you have an interest in leadership development, and why? Contact us Here to learn more. 5. Why Join NCMS? - Membership Benefit Highlights Insurance Solutions for you! Join NCMS and get exclusive access to the NCMS Employee Benefit Plan, NCMS Insurance Solutions and the NCMS Retirement Plan. For a full list of benefits Click Here. 6. Support the NCMS Foundation If you would like to support the Foundation that makes programs like CPP possible, click here, and give today!


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