NC Medicaid PHP Patient Incentive Program

Insight from NC AHEC Practice Support Coaches along with details from PHPs in the state have been combined in one tip sheet to help patients earn rewards and practices earn quality credit and incentive payments.

For full details, please review the tip sheet which includes:

Insights from Practice Support Coaches
Action Steps for NC Practice Managers
Various comparison tables (PHP incentive summary, WCV and Immunizations, Maternal Health Incentives for prenatal and postpartum, Chronic Disease Screening Incentives for Diabetes and Cancer, and Behavioral Health Incentives)
Other PHP opportunities

Regulatory Reminders:
Working Within Scope of Practice

Ensuring that all healthcare team members work within their defined scope of practice is essential for delivering safe, effective, and legally compliant patient care. Each role, whether clinical or administrative, is guided by professional licensure regulations, organizational policies, and competency-based responsibilities. When staff consistently practice within these boundaries, practices benefit from reduced risk, improved quality, and stronger team collaboration.

Working within scope of practice helps protect patients by ensuring that individuals with the appropriate training and credentials perform tasks requiring clinical judgment or technical expertise. It also safeguards staff from liability and supports regulatory compliance with state licensing boards and accrediting bodies. Clear role expectations help prevent errors, improve workflow efficiency, and ensure continuity of care.

Practices can support staff in maintaining appropriate boundaries by:

Providing regular training and competency assessments
Using clear job descriptions and standardized protocols
Encouraging open communication when questions or uncertainties arise
Promoting a culture where staff feel empowered to speak up about safety or role concerns

Reinforcing expectations practice not only enhances patient safety, but it also strengthens team trust, protects professional integrity, and supports high quality care across the practice. Additional resources can be found at the following:

North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB) – NC Medical Practice Act
NCMB – Delegating Medical Tasks to Unlicensed Personnel
American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) – State Scope of Practice Laws
NC Board of Nursing (NCBON) - RN/LPN Laws & Rules | North Carolina Board of Nursing
NCBON Clarification on RN Scope of Practice
NCMB Physician Supervision of Other Licensed Health Care Professional

Tools You Can Use:
Huddles in Medical Practices

Football season may be over, but the huddle remains an important part of the day in a clinical practice setting. Daily huddles are a quick, effective way for care teams to stay aligned in today’s fast paced clinical environment. Huddles strengthen team culture by promoting open communication, reinforcing shared goals, and building trust across clinical and administrative staff. This sense of collaboration improves morale and supports better care coordination.

Consistent huddles can help a practice highlight priorities, reinforce safety, and celebrate small wins, making them a simple but powerful tool for continuous improvement. A short investment in time each day leads to smoother operations, stronger teamwork, and better patient care. This helps teams proactively solve problems rather than react in the moment. Solve rather than react in the moment. Solve rather than react in the moment. Solve rather than react in the moment.

Tips for Running an Effective and Meaningful Huddle

Keep it Brief (5-15 minutes).
Identify a leader to facilitate the huddles.
Focus on key updates (schedule changes, high-risk patients, staffing needs, and anticipated bottlenecks).
Plan ahead. Improve huddle efficiency by having team member(s) review charts in advance to identify preventive care gaps and special considerations for the day.
Make it collaborative by encouraging input from all team members, both clinical and administrative. For small practices, huddles may involve just a provider and team member.
Close with clear action items. Confirm responsibilities, follow-ups, and any issues needing escalation.
Process Improvement. If the huddles are not making your practice operations more effective, make changes so that huddles can work for you.

Are you ready to implement huddles in your practice? See additional resources below:

Quality Payment Program Reminder

Providers that are required to submit data, plan to opt-in, or choose to voluntarily submit data to the Quality Payment Program (QPP) have until
March 31, 2026, at 8:00 pm EST, to satisfy those requirements. South Piedmont AHEC Practice Support is available to assist eligible practices with submission guidance. Please reach out as early as possible to avoid any delays that may be associated with registration or submission.

Keep in mind that QPP performance feedback data (and information on payment adjustments) will not be available on the site until summer of 2026.

NC Medicaid Webinars

Reference: Quarterly Provider Update – Winter 2026 | NC Medicaid

The upcoming NC Medicaid webinars can keep you informed on topics, initiatives, and program updates. Future offerings include:

Virtual Office Hours – Thursday, May 7, 2026,12–1 pm
Back Porch Chat – May 21, 2026
Virtual Office Hours – Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, 12–1 pm
Virtual Office Hours – Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 12–1 pm

Visit the Provider Playbook page to register.

Standard and Tailored Plan Updates

Stay up to date on known claims issues for Healthy Blue providers. This table is updated weekly and provides details on the problem, resolution, and estimated date for the fix. As always, if your issue is not shown here, please contact your Healthy Blue representative or Practice Support Coach for help. Issues list - NC_CAID_KnownIssuesList.pdf.

Effective April 1, 2026, Wellcare members will be transitioned automatically to Carolina Complete Health, making it the largest Medicaid plan in the state. What does the Wellcare and Carolina Complete Health merger mean for patients and practices? Visit the Carolina Complete Health merger link on their website for more details - Merger Between Carolina Complete Health and WellCare of North Carolina.

Effective July 1, 2026, Trillium will be transitioning their physical health and Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) contracting away from Carolina Complete Health and will instead be directly managing the physical health network, including claims processing and provider relationships. For additional information - https://www.trilliumhealthresources.org/physical-health-contracts.

AHEC Class Spotlight

Keeping the Heart of the Team:
Retention and Appreciation in Healthcare

Struggling with high turnover in your medical practice? This live webinar may be beneficial to you. Dr. Christian Nichles will talk about ways to motivate employees, build trust, and express appreciation. This will be held on March 31, 2026, at noon for one hour. The fee is $35.00. For more information, click here.