Western Highlands Provider Friday Newsletter, 08/18/06

	Western Highlands Network
	Friday E-Mail Newsletter Number 65 08/18/2006 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. A Few Reminders Regarding Value Options Authorizations Please remember that effective 8/15/06, all authorizations for existing Adult Medicaid consumers must be authorized by Value Options in order to receive payment. Attention To Providers who serve consumers from 18-21 years of age: WHN will be happy to convert authorizations for H0036HB (CS for Adults) to H0036HA (CS for Children) for active Medicaid consumers only who are over 18 years of age, but not yet 21. The Division, DMA and EDS have not made this transition issue clear to the LMEs as yet, and payment for services will be contingent upon EDS approval. Please contact a Services Management Representative for this conversion. In future requests, please request the H0036HA code for Medicaid consumers over 18 and younger than 21. A word about Medicaid authorizations for Therapeutic Foster Care coming from Value Options: On August 11, 2006, WHN received 130 authorization letters from Value Options. Unfortunately, none of these were for Therapeutic Foster Care. On August 15, 2006, WHN received 198 authorization letters from Value Options. Approximately 75-80 were duplicate letters with date ranges from 7/20-8/7/06. 58 of these letters were for Therapeutic Foster Care, but contained the wrong code. WHN has an additional 50 letters for Therapeutic Foster Care that are waiting for correction by Value Options. WHN understands the anxiety that is being produced by waiting for these authorization letters to arrive. Please be assured that WHN will enter these as soon as possible, once they arrive. Attention To Providers of Specialized Substance Abuse Services: The following placeholders should always be requested through WHN for Consumers with Medicaid or IPRS funding: SWAINA SWAINC WORK1 First Step Farm MBHTX WHN will authorize the following placeholders for IPRS consumers only: METHTX PERITX POCTX AMPHET MAJORS YSA IOP DRUGCT Charlie Schoenheit Director of Services Management Western Highlands Network 356 Biltmore Avenue Asheville, NC 28801 Telephone: (828)258-3511 x2219 FAX: (828) 225-2779 E-Mail: Charlie@westernhighlands.org Website: westernhighlands.org