Under Medicaid Waiver, Smoky Mountain Center LME Requires Different Items to be Submitted vs WHN LME, Including an 'Official College Transcript'

FROM: Marsha V. Hammond, PhD
Clinical / Health Psychology
NC Licensed Psychologist
cell: 828 772 1127
e mail: chomskysright@gmail.com

TO: Provider Relations, Smoky Mountain Center LME-MCO: Bryan Hardie; Kimberly Pearce

DATE: 6.12.2012

RE: Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) credentialing process under Medicaid Waiver, requirement for 'official college transcript:

Dear Mr. Hardie and Ms. Pearce:

It is Tuesday afternoon, 4:30 pm, and the SMC operator could not find a single person in Provider Relations to answer this question.  Why is there a requirement on the LIP checklist so that I can continue to see my very ill Medicaid patients----that you have a 'official college transcript'-----when I have been licensed as a psychologist in NC for the past 12 years?

I asked the same question of Western Highlands Network LME-MCO last summer and they removed this onerous requirement.  All independent practitioners must have been licensed by a state agency.  For me, that is the NC Psychology Board.  Anyone in the world can go to that website and see that I am a licensed psychologist, including your agency.  Moreover, the NC Psychology licensing board required the 'official college transcript' when I was licensed as a psychologist.

Therefore, why is this requirement that will take weeks to satisfy in terms of asking the university to send an 'official college transcript' sitting on your checklist for LIP's?

I find it disturbing that there is no congruity between the credentialing process of SMC LME or WHN LME under this Medicaid waiver credentialing process.  How can that be?  How can SMC LME require a CV and WHN not? How can WHN require a tax return and SMC not? How can SMC  require a CV and WHN not?

I'm completely perplexed at the non standardized way that this Medicaid waiver is moving forward as it seems that the LME's have a 'pick and choose' a la carte menu with which to further confound professional providers of mental health services.

I am looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience about the 'official college transcript' matter given how difficult and time-consuming that is.  I cannot call up the university and have it delivered: I have to go to the website, print out a form to have my 'official college transcript' which would be sealed, sent to you, which leaves it untethered from the rest of my application and therefore I assume that all the pieces will not be together as we move through this completely tiresome Medicaid waiver credentialing process.

Sincerely,

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD