Physician Support for CCNC Grows with Addition of 170 Practices to Medical Home Network
August 11, 2015 - While most states are struggling to find enough doctors to see their Medicaid patients, North Carolina’s Medicaid medical home program is growing. New network data shows that 170 primary care practices have recently joined North Carolina Community Care Networks (NCCCN), the physician-led nonprofit that helps manage care for 1.4 million Medicaid recipients.
Today 90% of primary care practices in North Carolina work with NCCCN to deliver care to Medicaid beneficiaries. Many states are wrestling with the opposite problem – decreasing numbers of practices participating in Medicaid. But in North Carolina, despite big changes in the healthcare and growing financial challenges, physician support for Medicaid continues.
Under NCCCN’s nationally recognized model, patients are matched with a primary care provider, or “medical home,” to provide a family doctor who can manage and coordinate their care. With the addition of the latest practices, the NCCCN network now includes more than 1,820 practices collectively providing care for 1.4 million Medicaid patients statewide.
“We’re gratified by the addition of 170 new practices over the last 18 months,” said Tom Wroth, MD, acting President of NCCCN. “I think this speaks volumes about the commitment of North Carolina’s physicians and the work done by NCCCN networks to build support in their communities. By integrating these new practices into NCCCN’s infrastructure, more Medicaid patients across the state will have access to quality care from respected physicians. This improves care delivery and care coordination, and saves the state money.”
NCCCN’s physician-driven medical home program continues to benefit the state behind the scenes, helping North Carolina avoid millions of dollars in preventable health care costs. NCCN has been cited across the country as a model for Medicaid. Other states, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Colorado and Idaho, have replicated parts of NCCCN’s process or are looking to do so.
“The health of Medicaid recipients is our priority,” said Wroth. “NCCCN unites doctors, nurses, psychiatrists and pharmacists, helping to foster collaboration, streamline whole-patient care and improve health outcomes. We are extremely pleased to welcome new practitioners to the effort.”
About North Carolina Community Care Networks
NCCCN is a community-based, public-private partnership that takes a population management approach to improving health care and containing costs for North Carolina’s most vulnerable populations. NCCCN creates “medical homes” in all 100 counties for Medicaid beneficiaries, individuals that are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, privately-insured employees and uninsured people. To learn how NCCCN saves North Carolina millions of dollars every year, visit www.CCNCcares.com. For more information, visit our website, www.communitycarenc.org.
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