North Carolina’s final $23 billion budget for the fiscal years 2017-19 has arrived, and there are plenty of pilot programs in the Health and Human Services (HHS) section that are designed to steer patients away from unnecessary (and expensive) trips to the Emergency Room. A few notable examples are listed below:
Wake County Case Management Program
- $2 million will be allocated for one of the state’s mental health managed care organizations (MCO) to oversee a case management program that aims to reduce ER wait times and readmissions for patients with behavioral health needs. The case management program will partner with a Wake County hospital that has the highest ER foot traffic.
- The program’s overall effectiveness is to be reported to HHS by December 2020.
Patient Navigation Pilot Program For Behavioral Health/Substance Abuse Services
- $250,000 in non-recurring funds for 2017-18 and 2018-19 are set aside to establish a two-year pilot program to focus on redirecting patients who need behavioral health and substance abuse treatment away from the ER to appropriate levels of care. The program will be carried out at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
- A final report prepared by representatives from New Hanover Regional, the nearest mental health MCO, and Recovery Innovations, Inc., a substance abuse treatment center, shall be submitted to HHS by October 2019. The report’s assessment of the pilot program will determine whether it will be continued.
Community Paramedicine Pilot Program
- Enacted in 2015, the Community Paramedicine Pilot Program will receive an additional $350,000 in non-recurring funds for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19. These resources will allow paramedics within their communities to find innovative solutions that reduce unnecessary 911 services and hospital admissions.
- Of the $350,000 total appropriations, $210,000 will be awarded to New Hanover Regional’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Site. $70,000 will be awarded to EMS sites in McDowell County and Wake County.
