On March 31, 2011, the State issued Request for Applications for the Expansion of the Medicaid 1915 (b)/(c) Waiver.

In addition, the North Carolina General Assembly raised the minimum population threshold for Local Management Entities to 300,000 by July 2012 and 500,000 by July 2013.

Many Local Management Entities (LME) do not meet the population requirements; therefore, mergers are taking place across the State. Locally, Mental Health Partners, Pathways LME and Crossroads Behavioral Healthcare are working together to merge by July 1, 2012. Area Boards of Directors and Consumer and Family Advisory Committees gave their support for the proposal. Soon thereafter, an application was made for the Expansion of the Medicaid 1915 (b)/(c) Waiver. The Boards of County Commissioners for Burke, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Iredell, Surry and Yadkin Counties also approved this proposal.

The application and plan for implementation were submitted to the State in May 2011 and were approved on July 22, 2011.

The new organization will become operational July 2012 and the Medicaid Waiver will be effective January 2013. The newly formed entity will be a Managed Care Organization (MCO).

To that end, the three LMEs that are merging have designed a new organizational chart to address the pending functional changes. Although 195 positions exist between the three entities prior to the merger, an estimated 103 additional positions will be needed to be fully operational.

At a meeting in August, the executive leadership was determined. The new MCO Chief Executive Officer will be Rhett Melton (presently Area Director/ CEO of Pathways). John Hardy (Area Director/CEO of Mental Health Partners) will be the Chief Community Relations Officer and David Swann (Area Director/CEO of Crossroads) will be the Chief Clinical Operations Officer.

Other positions will be filled during the next eight months in a tiered format, with the ones reporting the CEO being hired first and so on.

Although an organizational chart and a well-defined recruitment plan have been developed, some details are fluid and contingent on a number of other decisions. Every effort will be made to keep those interested in submitting an application for employment with the new MCO updated with the most current and accurate information.

Organizational Chart

Recruitment Plan