For new staff, NCTracks Seminars provide valuable training.
April 17, 2017 |  
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NCSEPS North Carolina Society of Eye Physicians & Surgeons

2017 Annual Meeting Info  |  NCSEPS Website

In this edition:

   

NCSEPS White Coat Days @ the Legislature

As previously announced, the NCSEPS will host a series of White Coat Days @ the Legislature on April 19, 25 and 26 to advocate against dangerous  legislation that would allow optometrists to perform laser surgery and scalpel surgery in, on and around the eyes. These dates were chosen to coincide with the upcoming “Crossover” deadline of April 27. Visit the online registration page for complete event details.

"Crossover" is the date by which a bill must pass either the House or the Senate in order to remain eligible for consideration in the remainder of the session. The bills that do not pass at least one chamber by this deadline are effectively dead for the session. Your presence in Raleigh during this critical time will be tremendously helpful as we work to derail the dangerous optometric scope bills currently before the House Health Committee and Senate Rules Committee.

As previously reported, the NCSEPS hosted a press conference last month at which it announced results of a statewide public survey revealing voters’ opposition to optometrists performing eye surgery. NCSEPS leaders along with AAO President Cindy Bradford, MD and Representative Greg Murphy, MD (Greenville) reported that 86% of likely NC voters oppose HB 36. Video footage of the press conference is now available

Ophthalmologists are urged to maintain their communications with North Carolina legislators in the coming weeks, and to continue advocating against the bills HB 36 and SB 342. We hope you will join us in Raleigh! Visit the online registration site for complete details.

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2017 AAO Mid-Year Forum and Congressional Advocacy Day, April 26-29

Ophthalmologists from across the country will meet in Washington, DC, from April 26 to April 29 for the Academy’s annual Mid-Year Forum and Congressional Advocacy. During the Mid-Year Forum, Academy members and other ophthalmic leaders discuss critical issues facing ophthalmology. The event also includes Congressional Advocacy Day, April 26 to 27, and the spring meeting of the Academy Council, April 28 to 29. The meeting will be held at the Renaissance Downtown in Washington, DC. Register today! View the full program.

Benefits of attendance:

  • Provide valuable contributions to Academy policy development.
  • Learn more about Academy activities and initiatives.
  • Return to your state, subspecialty or specialized interest society armed with the latest information.

The NCSEPS encourages North Carolina ophthalmologists to participate. If you have any questions, please let me know. Complete details and online registration are available at https://www.aao.org/mid-year-forum/overview.

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ICYMI: This Avoided Administrative Nightmare in Medicaid Brought to You by the NCMS
Source: NC Medical Society

So far, 2017 has been a successful year for our Medicaid advocacy work. Last month, the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) abandoned its plan to activate “rendering provider service location edits” in NCTracks, another burdensome administrative requirement affecting all physicians, PAs, and individual providers.

Teaming with the NC Medical Group Management Association (NCMGMA), the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) argued that complying with the edits would require countless hours of administrative work for medical practices statewide, risked another major disruption to the flow of claims and payments, and most importantly, offered absolutely no benefit to the Medicaid program, providers, or patients.

After several months of persistent work by NCMS and NCMGMA, DMA officials eventually agreed to scrap the edits. “This was an incredibly important win to keep Medicaid practices running smoothly. We are pleased and grateful that DMA listened to reason and agreed to drop this requirement,” said Leah Paraschiv, Chair of NCMGMA’s Medicaid Committee.

This comes quickly on the heels of the victorious effort to block the 1 percent rate cut, and serves as another example of how the NCMS works behind the scenes to protect your practice in Medicaid. We’ve got your back!

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2017 Annual NCTracks Regional Seminars
Source: NCTracks

Are you a new provider or an existing provider with new staff who use NCTracks? Have you wanted to attend NCTracks training, but prefer taking it in person and can’t travel much? Would you like to meet our Regional Provider Relations Representatives?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have good news. NCTracks will conduct four Regional NCTracks Seminars in the coming months. The purpose of these Regional NCTracks Seminars is to help educate new providers, educate new billing staff of existing providers, and serve as a refresher for current and experienced provider staff. Regional seminars allow for participation by more providers, particularly those who cannot travel to attend single Instructor-Led Training classes. They will also allow providers an opportunity to meet and become familiar with their Regional Provider Relations Representatives. It is a learning opportunity and a chance to network.

Each of the seminars runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and they are being offered on different dates and locations across the state. Providers can register for the seminar most convenient for them:

  • Thursday, May 18 - 359 Ferrell Lane Halifax, NC
  • Tuesday, June 6 - 1450 Fairchild Rd Winston-Salem, NC

From 9:00 a.m. to Noon, the seminars will give providers a high level overview of NCTracks, Claim Submission, Provider Enrollment, Credentialing, Re-Verification, Provider Record Maintenance, and recent system updates. Registration is for all sessions, but participants can review the agenda and choose to attend all or as many topics as they wish. Printed materials will not be available, but providers can download and/or print their own Participant User Guides (PUGs) from the ILT Guides folder in SkillPort prior to the seminar.

From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be a Provider Help Center at each location. NCTracks staff from Claims, Provider Enrollment, and Provider Relations will be available on site to assist registered NC providers with questions or concerns regarding NCTracks. For providers to get the most out of these sessions, please bring specific examples of issues. Registration is required, separate from the morning seminar, for a 30 minute block of time, limited to a total of 30 providers. After all registered Help Center participants have been assisted, and if time permits, the NCTracks staff will see other session participants on a first come, first served basis.

Providers can register for the NCTracks Regional Seminars and the Provider Help Centers in SkillPort, the NCTracks Learning Management System. Logon to the secure NCTracks Provider Portal and click Provider Training to access SkillPort. Open the folder labeled Provider Computer-Based Training (CBT) and Instructor Led Training (ILT). The sessions for the 2017 Annual Regional Seminar and the Provider Help Center can be found in the sub-folder labeled ILTs: On-site. Refer to the Provider Training page of the public Provider Portal for specific instructions on how to use SkillPort. The Provider Training page also includes a quick reference regarding Java, which is required for the use of SkillPort.

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Save the date!
NCSEPS Annual Meeting
September 22-24, 2017
The Omni Homestead Resort

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