From a press release:
On March 18, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Rick Brajer announced his proposal for the state’s local management entities/managed care organizations (LME/MCOs) to consolidate into four service regions. Within the proposed plan, Smoky Mountain LME/MCO (Smoky) and Partners Behavioral Health Management are identified as a newly consolidated, 31-county catchment area responsible for the management of mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities and substance use disorder services for the western region.
In November 2013, Smoky and Partners began working together towards the goal of standardizing processes and practices throughout the western region. That effort, the Western Regional Partnership, has successfully reduced administrative burdens for those within the combined regions and positioned the western region to thrive.
“Our focus remains the same: to sustain the efforts necessary to provide more integrated care for our members, and to strengthen our relationships with the healthcare community. We are committed to exploring all options to meet the needs of people in our combined communities,” said Brian Ingraham, Smoky CEO. “We look forward to building upon our existing collaborative efforts with Partners to establish a strong partnership for western North Carolina.”
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