NC AHEC Practice Support is celebrating 20 years

(2006-2026)

Established in 1972 to address healthcare workforce shortages, NC AHEC Practice Support has evolved from focusing on medical training to providing tailored, on-the-ground, and virtual coaching for primary care, behavioral health, and specialty practices across all 100 North Carolina counties, aiding over 1,300 practices with health IT, quality improvement, and Medicaid transformation. Thank you for 20 years of making a difference in the lives of others in North Carolina.

Updates

Reach Out and Read: Promoting Early Literacy Through Primary Care

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is an evidence-based program that integrates early literacy promotion into pediatric well-child visits. Through provider training and age-appropriate book distribution, ROR helps clinicians support healthy child development while strengthening relationships with families.

Research consistently demonstrates the program's impact:

• Parents are 2.5 times more likely to read regularly with their children.
• Families are 2.5 times more likely to enjoy reading together and maintain books in the home.
• Children's language development improves by 3–6 months, with greater gains seen through continued participation.
• Families participating in ROR have higher well-child visit attendance rates.
• Clinics report improved culture, provider satisfaction, and staff morale.

Beyond literacy, Reach Out and Read supports broader healthcare goals by enhancing patient-provider relationships, improving well-child visit compliance, supporting maternal mental health, and advancing value-based care. By encouraging early brain development, caregiver engagement, and school readiness, ROR serves as a powerful preventive health tool that helps clinicians assess and promote child development in real time.

What H.R. 1 Means for Medicaid: Communication and Preparation Matter

Recent federal Medicaid policy changes under H.R. 1 may affect coverage requirements for some beneficiaries. While many Medicaid members will experience no changes, others, particularly certain adults ages 19–64 in Medicaid expansion populations, may face new requirements such as more frequent eligibility recertification and activity/work reporting requirements.

Key takeaways for practices and community partners:

• Many beneficiaries will not be impacted, including children, pregnant individuals, older adults, people with disabilities, medically frail individuals, and several other protected populations.
• Some adults may need to complete additional steps to maintain coverage, including submitting documentation and completing recertification more often.
• Early communication is critical to help eligible individuals maintain coverage and reduce confusion.
• Practices and organizations can support patients through clear education, reminders, trusted community partnerships, and outreach through multiple channels.

As details continue to emerge, providers and community organizations can play an important role in helping patients understand what actions, if any, they need to take to avoid unnecessary coverage disruptions.

NC Immunization Registry Implementation: Readiness Checklist

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has released an implementation readiness checklist to help practices prepare for the transition to the new North Carolina Immunization Registry (NCIR). The checklist outlines required activities and best practices organized by key timelines (90, 60, and 30 days before go-live) to support a smooth implementation process, minimize access issues, and reduce operational disruptions. Practices are encouraged to review requirements early and complete preparation activities promptly to ensure readiness for the upcoming system transition. View the readiness checklist: NCIR Readiness Checklist (PDF)

Vaya Health and Partners Health Management Merger

Vaya Health and Partners Health Management have announced plans to merge, pending completion of a readiness review, with the consolidation expected to take effect on October 1, 2026. The newly formed organization, Vaya Partners, will become North Carolina’s largest publicly governed behavioral health organization, serving more than 222,000 members across 47 counties. The merger aims to strengthen the state’s public behavioral health system and expand integrated care for individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Current members and contracted providers are not expected to experience immediate changes to benefits, provider networks, billing, or administrative processes as transition planning moves forward. Frequently Asked Questions

Unlocking PHP Incentives in 2026: What NC Practice Managers Need to Know

North Carolina practices have new opportunities in 2026 to improve patient outcomes while strengthening financial sustainability through Medicaid Prepaid Health Plan (PHP) incentive programs. Health plans such as Healthy Blue, AmeriHealth Caritas, and Carolina Complete Health offer member rewards tied to preventive services, including well-child visits, prenatal and postpartum care, screenings, immunizations, and chronic disease management. While UnitedHealthcare does not offer visit-based incentives, it provides supportive benefits such as doula services, baby items, and food assistance.

NC AHEC Practice Support teams emphasize that practices that align workflows early, submit claims promptly, and actively educate patients about available rewards are more likely to maximize quality performance and capture available incentives. Practices are encouraged to review plan-specific opportunities and use data tools to identify and close care gaps. Access the updated FAQ on PHP AMH Performance Incentives.

NCQA Advanced Primary Care Webinar (APC)

Wednesday, June 10 | 1–2 p.m. ET

Our conversation will highlight what it takes for advanced primary care models to succeed, drawing on real-world experience from NCQA’s Advanced Primary Care Pilot. For Partners in Quality, this conversation is especially relevant. As organizations that provide financial incentives, technical assistance and transformation support to practices pursuing NCQA Recognition, you are directly shaping how primary care evolves in value-based environments.

During the webinar, you’ll gain:

• Insights from pilot participants on implementation challenges, successes and lessons learned
• Themes from NCQA on reducing fragmentation and strengthening the primary care foundation
• Visibility into the future Advanced Primary Care Program, including how it may align with payer strategies and incentive models

If interested in attending, Register Here

PODCAST: What if it's me? A manager's response to turnover

Your best employees keep walking out the door. Maybe it's time to take a painful look in the mirror and consider if your management style may be contributing to the problem. GeGe Beall of Engaged At Work discusses this uncomfortable issue and how you can face it and transform your practice into a place employees enjoy.

Find out more about GeGe at engagedatwork.com.

For information about the North Carolina Practice Management Academy, visit ncahecpma.org

Continuing Professional Development

In-Person | Live Webinar

Looking to grow your skills or stay ahead of regulatory changes? SR-AHEC Continuing Professional Development offers a variety of courses through in-person sessions and live webinars. Our trainings are practical, timely, and tailored to today’s healthcare environment.

Explore upcoming opportunities and register today!

Click here to see our full course catalog

We have a new web address for the Practice Management Academy

ncahecpma.org - Go check it out!

Any bookmark you have should still work because we've mapped the old URL to the new one. If you'd like to see what our new page looks like, you may need to sign out of the academy so you can see the landing page. Anyone can join the free side of the Practice Management Academy. This includes any free courses, access to our group chat, and announcements about upcoming classes and events. We hope this new address and page will be easier to navigate and share.