Letter to NC Comm Co-Chairs:WHN LME Medicaid Providers Being Denied Access to Medicaid Authorizations: URGENT

The following letter was just sent to the 3 co-chairs of the oversight committee which pertains to Mental Health, Developmental Disability, and Substance Abuse Services in NC: Marsha V. Hammond, PhD Clinical / Health Psychology NC Licensed Psychologist cell: 828 772 1127 e mail: chomskysright@gmail.com NC Mental Health Reform blogspot: http://madame-defarge.blogspot.com/ March 6, 2012 Dear NC State Legislators who are Co-Chairs for the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse: Justin Burr; Nelson Dollar; and, Louis Pate I have been a Medicaid provider for over 7 years. I am a NC doctoral level Licensed Psychologist. I have severely mentally ill clients who go in and out of the psychiatric hospital. I am not able to get Western Highlands Network (WHN) LME to move forward my Medicaid provider application which is being required since WHN LME Board adopted the Medicaid Waiver from Piedmont Behavioral Health (PBH). Either its the Medicaid waiver that is wrecking the Medicaid system here, or the incompetency of WHN LME is wrecking it, or PBH telling WHN LME what to do (WHN LME was required to sign a non-disclosure statement). THERE ARE 80,000 MEDICAID ELIGIBLE PATIENTS UNDER WHN LME. Three thousand were served in January, 2012, according to hand-outs given to the public at the WHN LME Board meeting this past Friday. Prior to this, there were no issues for me and other Medicaid providers. I am now receiving information from other providers, including medical providers, who cannot bill and therefore see their patients re: this Medicaid waiver. I would like to know what you can immediately do about this matter. I cannot get calls back from the Provider Relations department. I went to the WHN LME Board meeting this past Friday, presented the issue, was given no solution. This is a very urgent matter. Thank you for researching this matter. Marsha V. Hammond, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, NC __________________________________________ These are the current members of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 Members Co-Chairs Rep. Justin P. Burr (Co-Chair) House Appointment Justin.Burr@ncleg.net Rep. Nelson Dollar (Co-Chair) House Appointment Nelson.Dollar@ncleg.net Sen. Louis Pate (Co-Chair) Senate Appointment Louis.Pate@ncleg.net Legislative Members Rep. Martha B. Alexander House Appointment Rep. William D. Brisson House Appointment Rep. William A. Current, Sr. House Appointment Rep. Mark W. Hollo House Appointment Rep. Pat B. Hurley House Appointment Rep. Bert Jones House Appointment Rep. Marian N. McLawhorn House Appointment Rep. Tom Murry House Appointment Rep. Fred F. Steen, II House Appointment Sen. Austin M. Allran Senate Appointment Sen. Doug Berger Senate Appointment Sen. Stan Bingham Senate Appointment Sen. Harris Blake Senate Appointment Sen. Jim Davis Senate Appointment Sen. Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. Senate Appointment Sen. Eric Mansfield Senate Appointment Sen. Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Senate Appointment Sen. William R. Purcell Senate Appointment Sen. Tommy Tucker Senate Appointment Advisory Members Hon. James Summers Forrester Senate Appointment