NC DHHS Press Release

From:  Titus, Trina Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 4:51 PM

N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2012

Contact: Chrissy Pearson
919-855-4835 or Chrissy.pearson@dhhs.nc.gov

Secretary Delia Announces Reorganization of State Medicaid, DHHS Leadership Team

State Medicaid office will now report directly to Secretary

Raleigh– North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Al Delia today announced that he is reorganizing the leadership teams that oversee the state’s Medicaid division.

The changes come after careful evaluation of the Department’s management, said Delia, who was named acting secretary in February.

Michael Watson, DHHS chief deputy secretary, will become the new head of the state’s Medicaid office, the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA). That position will be elevated to serve on the Secretary’s executive leadership team. Watson joined the Department in 2009 as an assistant secretary. He is the former CEO for Sandhills Center for MH/DD/SAS, with more than 20 years of experience and leadership in developing and operating mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services on a local and regional level. His salary remains $160,000.

Watson replaces Dr. Craigan Gray, who served as director of DMA since April 2009 at a salary of $270,000.

Beth Melcher, assistant secretary for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services development since August 2010, will become chief deputy secretary. Melcher, a licensed psychologist, is the former president of Recovery Innovations North Carolina. She was clinical director of The Durham Center, and also worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina as its executive director and as public policy director. Her salary will be $141,797.

John Dervin, the secretary’s senior policy adviser since March 2012, will step into a newly created role as chief of staff. Dervin previously served as policy adviser for health and human services for Governor Perdue. His salary will remain $84,000.

“After nearly six months in this role, my first priority for strengthening our management team is to elevate the state Medicaid office to play a more prominent role in the Department’s decision-making process,” said Secretary Delia. “Medicaid is not a stand-alone division. It touches not only multiple DHHS divisions but also plays a huge part in shaping the state budget. We need better communications and stronger oversight of this $12 billion program. I believe these changes will accomplish that.”

These staff changes are effective immediately.

###

Parent PBH Inquiry

Pat Wiegand is the parent caregiver of two adult DD recipients, Casey and Jason, who depend upon CAP Waiver supports to keep her family together and maintain some small level of community involvement.

You may recognize their names from their May 22nd Arc video at the Coalition Rally or from the touching Family Stories video earlier this year.

Pat and her family reside in Senate District 9 and House District 18. Her children, Casey and Jason, receive services through Southeastern Regional MH/DD/SAS Services (SRMHC) LME.

Parent Perspective and PBH Inquiry

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pat Wiegand
Date: Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: re- PBH Inquiry
To: Rachel Porter

Dear Ms. Porter,

I am interested in the salaries of all PBH executives. I feel as the families of the IDD consumers we have a right to know how much of the funding is taken from them to pay high salaries. We as a group would also like to know how PBH is paying 14 million dollars for a building that to the best of our knowledge is for paper pushers. We don't believe there are any services in the building benefitting clients if this is not accurate information I will be glad to pass along any corrections you may have.

Thankyou,

Ms. Patricia Wiegand

ps I would appreciate a response before the DWAC meeting wednesday


On Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 1:57 PM,
Rachel Porter wrote:
> Dear Ms. Wiegand,
>
> I am responding to your inquiry regarding Pam Shipman’s salary. Ms. Shipman
> has held the position of CEO at PBH since July, 2011. Her salary is $160,000
> annually.
>
> Please let me know if I can help further.
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rachel Porter
>
>
> M. Rachel Porter
> Director of Communications
> 4855 Milestone Avenue
> Kannapolis, NC 28081
> www.pbhsolutions.org
> 704.939.7705
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY: This e-mail (including any attachments) may contain
> confidential, proprietary and privileged information, and unauthorized
> disclosure or use is prohibited. If you receive this e-mail in error, please
> notify the sender and delete this e-mail from your system.

------ Pat's original email, sent 6/13 ------

To Whom it may concern

I am writting this request to find out if and where the salaries for executive officers of PBH can be found . It is our understanding that as a goverment funded company it should be made available to the public.
I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible as we have meetings where I would like to present the needed information.

Respectfully,

Patricia Wiegand

email from Dr. Pat Porter

09 April 2012

Received via email from Dr. Pat Porter, DHHS consultant to the NC General Assembly:

Hello Crystal, I followed up on your question regarding the rates of pay for direct care workers per the changes in approved service definitions.  While this seems to be resolved for now, there were a couple of issues that caused some confusion with the transition of ECBH to the B-C Innovations Waiver.

The CAP IDD waiver is not a perfect crosswalk to the Innovations waiver.  In the CAP Waiver, recipients have had access to Home and Community Support (HCS), which is primarily a habilitative  service with a very small amount of personal care (PCS) blended in.  (CAP IDD also has the basic PCS).  So, HCS in CAP cross-walks to In-home Skill Building and PCS in the Innovations waiver.   In-Home Skill Building (a hab service) pays more than PCS.

As ECBH was cross-walking the services during transition, they cross-walked much of the HCS to PCS, rather than In-Home Skill Bldg.   Again, HCS/In-Home Skill Bldg. pays a higher rate than PCS.  But, there was a reason for this. ECBH could find very few habilitation  goals on the plans being reviewed and, unfortunately,  they found little or no evidence of assessments supporting the recipient's ability to benefit from habilitation.  Based on the assessment information they found, it appeared that most recipients were actually receiving more PCS than hab. As you know, the Managed Care sites  must pay for the actual services needed and rendered.

With further review and technical assistance from the Division of Medical Assistance,  ECBH elected that the wisest course of action on behalf of their consumers would be to cross-walk HCS directly to In-Home Skill Bldg for ease of transition.  I am told that these cross-walked plans will last for the remainder of the plan year.  This is the action that had already been taken by Western Highlands and PBH as they made these transitions.  I am told that ECBH alerted the providers in a March 22 Communication and in a town-hall meeting in Greenville but, apparently, not everyone has gotten the word yet.

At some point soon, ECBH will be compelled to address the  habilitation/PCS issue. Perhaps this will occur in Annual Revisions. Care Coordinators have been alerted to pay attention to additional assessments that may be needed to support habilitation goals.  Be assured that the Care Coordinators will develop plans based on what the recipient needs and wants ( that’s the rule). Utilization Management may, however, deny a habilitation service if there is not demonstrated medical necessity per CMS rules.  Certainly, if that should occur, ECBH will offer review and appeal rights. The DHHS will be monitoring the process to assure due process.

This is a long reply but I hope it is helpful to you