Sandhills Center earns highest marks from providers

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

The results of a recently commissioned survey by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) show that Sandhills Center continues to excel in maintaining strong relationships with providers while successfully conducting oversight and management of the behavioral health services in our local communities.

The survey measured provider satisfaction among each Local Management Entity-Managed Care Organization (LME-MCO) in North Carolina. It was administered by an independent review organization on behalf of the NCDHHS. The following is a summary of highlights:

• Sandhills Center scored as the highest LME-MCO on 9 of 17 questions, the most of any of our peer organizations. Our score was 96.5 percent for the question that rates overall LME-MCO satisfaction. This was the highest score among our peers, and is a score statistically and significantly higher than the overall average score for 2021.
• Other areas where Sandhills Center's scored the highest were:
  • Response time for provider needs.
  • Accurate and consistent information about claims.
  • Informative and helpful communication to providers.
  • Knowledgeable provider network staff.
  • Informative training to meet the needs of providers.
  • A useful website to assist providers with the tools and materials needed to provide services.
  • Timely credentialing and recredentialing by friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Sandhills Center had eight results that were statistically higher than the 2021 NC Overall result, which was significantly more than the two achieved by the next-highest scoring LME-MCO.

Sandhills Center recognizes the importance of periodically gauging provider satisfaction. Engaging providers allows us to gain feedback about key elements that ultimately affect outcomes for our members and their families throughout our 11-county region. Providers’ opinions also are important because they indicate how we can identify and prioritize opportunities for improvement.

We are pleased to see that the data we received from the NCDHHS survey reaffirms Sandhills Center’s commitment to helping give providers the resources and tools they need to offer quality, evidence-based, and appropriate solutions for our members.