Sandhills Center extends rate increases for specific services through June 2022

Publication Date: March 29, 2022

As the global pandemic was beginning to affect our region in the spring of 2020, Sandhills Center announced temporary reimbursement rate enhancements for identified services. Those temporary increases have continued quarterly, and today Sandhills Center has announced an additional extension.  

These residential and other service offerings will maintain 15 percent rate increases through June 30, 2022:

• Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities
• Behavioral Health Long-Term Residential
• Innovations Residential Services (Residential Supports 1-4, Supported Living 1-3, and Supported Living Periodic)
• Assertive Community Treatment Team
• Community Support Team
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services
• Community-Based Intermediate Care Facilities  

In addition, 5 percent rate increases will remain in place for all other Medicaid services through June 30, 2022. Sandhills Center also will maintain an enhanced $50.02 per-person/per-day reimbursement rate to community-based Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, continuing the funding initially directed by the North Carolina General Assembly. Because ICF services provided through state-operated facilities have an alternative reimbursement arrangement, they are not subject to the funding extension that Sandhills Center announced.  

Since the initial announcement of the temporary rate enhancements two years ago, Sandhills Center has considered the impact of COVID-19 in the region, as well as the availability of continued funding, to determine extending these increases. Recently, other longer-term rate increases have been announced, including for ICF and Electronic Visit Verification services, and increases designed to raise direct care worker wages. Some of these enhancements were intended to replace COVID-19 temporary reimbursement rate increases. For other services, it was announced that the funding Sandhills Center receives to accommodate the temporary increases would end from February 2022 through June 2022. As the additional COVID-19 funding enhancements are set to expire, the temporary reimbursement rate increases may finally end on June 30, 2022.    

“We appreciate the incredible efforts of our provider network to continue services to members throughout this unprecedented time,” said Sandhills Center CEO Victoria Whitt. “Our providers have been invaluable as they have maintained high-quality service delivery despite the many challenges brought on by COVID-19. We have been pleased to offer these temporary reimbursement increases and will continue to look for opportunities to support our provider network through enhanced reimbursement rates whenever possible.”