Western Highlands Network
Friday E-Mail Newsletter
Number 103
11/16/2007
The Friday E-Mail is a weekly update for providers by the Services Management Department of Western Highlands Network. Please distribute to all your staff.
Happy Thanksgiving!
It our sincere hope that you will enjoy the warmth and company of those close to you during the upcoming holiday. Our thoughts will also be with those who continue to care for consumers in our program over the holiday, and those we serve.
CHANGES WITHIN WESTERN HIGHLANDS
Recently, WHN moved to put Clinical Staff in Access answering phones. This is part of our mandate. In making this move, there was some necessary reorganization needed.
For providers, the change looks like this:
Clinical Staff in Access have discontinued issuing initial authorizations since 7/16/07; they will issue WH101 and MCM authorizations, when appropriate, after consulting with the provider.
- No wrong door and opening paperwork are still faxed to 225-2782 and are being processed by Authorization Technicians, who consult with Clinical Staff when necessary.
- All calls to consumer lines not directly related to ACCESS will be directed by Access Staff to call new WHN provider/business new phone numbers: local- 225-2785 and long distance- 1 800 671-6560. (These have been published several times in Friday Emails).
- Due to the restructuring, the initial authorization process has been delayed. WHN is now current with Medicaid and IPRS registrations, but any initial authorizations coming through Access, including "No Wrong Door" screenings are currently delayed about two weeks. We have assigned extra staff to reduce this delay and hope to be current in the near future.
Because of these changes and delays, we ask you to please be patient around your initial authorizations. When these Access/ Initial auths lead to delays with concurrent or Services Management authorizations, these may be delayed as well.
It would be helpful if you hold off calling WHN staff about the status of individual requests unless you have heard nothing in 2 weeks. We will retroactively authorize services that were appropriately requested/documented back to the date of receipt.
Please check your Fax Confirmation sheets for accuracy, and save them to document your request. We frequently get Fax Confirmation sheets that report use of the VO fax number, or that indicate the document failed to send. This can be helpful for both you and us as we go back to enter retroactive authorizations.
Western Highlands Network
356 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
Providers Call: 828-225-2785 or 1-800-671-6560
Fax: (828) 225-2779
E-Mail: ring@westernhighlands.org
Website: www.westernhighlands.org
