BY ​​JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

CANTON — St. Lawrence County Legislators took action on multiple resolutions for the Community Services Department during the services committee meeting on July 17.

Legislators approved the signing of a contract with Medicaid Managed Care organizations and commercial insurances for behavioral health provider services.

According to Community Services Director Jay Ullrich, the Community Services Department is in the process of updating and establishing new contracts with insurance providers that cover the North Country region, with nine total major insurance organizations that serve St. Lawrence County.

Those nine organizations are a mix of Medicare and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, as well as private commercial payers, according to the resolution.

Throughout the contracting process, Community Services will receive consultation from EPOCH as part of the department’s current agreement that was passed months ago.

In other action, legislators approved a resolution for the chair to sign a letter to Medicare as part of the credentialing process for the opioid treatment program (OTP).

Community Services is currently in the process of updating credentialing with Medicare to include the OTP and as part of that process, the chair must provide an official letter stating the county will be legally responsible if any debt is owed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Legislators also approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Fort Drum Regional Health Planning (FDRHPO) to participate in a health resources and services administration (HRSA) grant.

Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization received a four-year Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, which began on July 1, 2023 and runs through June 30, 2027.

The grant will assist FDRHPO as it works with the integrated rural health network in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties.

The integrated network will administer whole person-centered care management for the North Country “through transitional care management after patients’ discharges from inpatient or emergency department settings,” according to the resolution.

The network also will assist in chronic pain management services where eligible, high risk, high needs patients work with their care team “on comprehensive care planning to achieve patients’ identified wellness goals, engage in preventative care,” the resolution states.

Officials say with the network and St. Lawrence County’s participation, identified care gaps can be closed, hospital readmissions can be reduced, telehealth resources will become more readily available and patient-centered care will be improved.

Patient care planning and increased collaboration between primary care and community providers is also expected to improve with the network and grant funding, officials say.

St. Lawrence County Community Services will receive $80 per patient for providing transitional case management services and $60 per patient for providing chronic care management services, officials say.

Total funding the department will receive will be based on the “number of individuals identified by FDRHPO over the four-year period of the grant who are eligible and in need of those specialized case management services,” the resolution states.

All three resolutions now move to the full board for final approval in August.