TennCare Provider Resource Board

Your Central Hub for Provider News, Resources, and Announcements

Announcements for Providers

ASD Identification & Diagnosis Training for Pediatric Primary Care Provider

The Tennessee Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Education and Support (TCAPES) Program at the Tennessee Department of Health, in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), is offering a free, in-person comprehensive training on the identification and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for pediatric primary care providers.

What’s included?

  • Expert-led training on ASD diagnosis and best practices
  • A post-workshop Community of Practice for ongoing learning and peer connection
  • Dedicated office hours for personalized guidance and technical assistance
  • STAT kits provided at no cost to participants
  • CME credits available upon completion

Training Details:
Registration is required!
Friday, July 10, 2026
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET

East Regional Health Office
2101 Medical Center Way
Knoxville, TN 37922

Lunch will be provided at no cost to participants. 

TDH Professional Development Opportunity - Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training

The Tennessee Department of Health, Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program is offering an exciting opportunity for providers across Tennessee to become certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists (TTS) through Duke-UNC. This program provides a blended learning format, combining self-paced online modules with live, interactive virtual sessions. Participants gain evidence-based instruction on tobacco treatment, counseling strategies, program development, and population-level tobacco control. The curriculum is accredited and meets the training requirements for national certification as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist.

Key highlights:

  • 30 Continuing Education (CE) hours available (AMA PRA Category 1, ANCC, ACPE, IACET)
  • Expert interdisciplinary faculty from Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and the NC Division of Public Health
  • Training cohorts available Summer 2026, Fall 2026, and Spring 2027
  • The registration survey for Summer 2026 closes on June 15.

Full-ride scholarships (usually $1,350) are available exclusively for Tennessee providers currently working or preparing to work in tobacco prevention.

You are Invited: National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) E-Badge Academy Provider/Local Administrator meetings

TennCare, MCOs, and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) recognize the tremendous work that Tennessee’s Local Administrators are doing to implement the E-Badge Academy. To support this work, NADSP offers many technical assistance opportunities.

The NADSP holds bi-monthly Tennessee Local Admin meetings on the 4th Tuesday every other month at 11:00 AM CST/12:00 PM EST. These are informational meetings open to all HCBS Providers participating in the NADSP E-Badge. There will be a formal agenda each meeting. The next TN Local Admin meeting is June 23rd, 2026.

Additionally, NADSP hosts Weekly Local Administrator Drop-In Sessions. These sessions will not have a formal agenda and are intended as an open forum for questions, discussions, or general conversation about the E-Badge Academy.

  • Every Tuesday at 9:00 AM CST/10:00 AM EST
  • Every Thursday at 1:00 PM EST (These meetings will start June 4th, 2026)

We strongly encourage all TN Local Admins to take advantage of the additional supports now available. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to discuss.

Contact: LTSS.WorkforceDevelopment@tn.gov

Other Provider Announcements

SafeGuard Services (SGS), working on behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as the Southeastern Unified Program Integrity Contractor (SE UPIC), will soon begin Medicaid audits of TennCare's Managed Care Plans (MCPs), BlueCare, United Health and Wellpoint. These audits align with federal recommendations to enhance oversight, strengthen program integrity, and ensure the appropriate use of Medicaid funds.

During the audit, SGS will request medical records from network providers for a group of recipients selected through a statistically valid random sampling methodology. Providers are expected to submit all requested documentation promptly, accurately, and in full to support the review process.

Any questions should be directed to the contact information provided in the medical records request you receive from SGS.

Please do not submit Provider Payment Reconsideration (First-Level Appeal) or Provider Dispute requests to TennCare Member Medical Appeals at PO Box 593, Nashville, TN 37202, or by fax at 888‑345‑5575. These requests should be submitted directly to the Managed Care Contractors (MCCs) according to the instructions in the TennCare MCC Provider Manuals. Sending them to TennCare causes unnecessary delays in processing and resolution.

If you work with a billing office or revenue cycle manager, please ensure they have the correct submission information.

Thank you. 

The Tennessee Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Workforce survey will launch on June 1, 2026. All HCBS providers across CHOICES, ECF CHOICES, and 1915(c) are eligible—and strongly encouraged—to participate. We welcome every provider’s input. If you are unsure whether you are on our contact list, please reach out to MCO Workforce Development Directors as soon as possible to ensure you are included.

UHC: Nichelle Johnson
BC: Christian Ceccotti
WLP: Simone Stewart

Your voice is essential. We hope to see providers from across Tennessee take part in this important and influential survey, which continues to help shape and strengthen our system each year.

TennCare and the MCOs recently hosted a BESMART Education virtual webinar highlighting important updates to the BESMART program, along with pharmacy updates related to buprenorphine. The updated BESMART program description is available on TennCare’s Opioid Strategy webpage, and current information regarding buprenorphine can be found  on the Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment webpage.

If you would like to request a copy of the BESMART Education webinar recording, please contact Amber Huggins at amber_huggins@uhc.com. 

Health Plan and MCO Announcements

Review BlueCare Tennessee's BlueAlert Newsletter

Viewing our monthly newsletter is one of the best ways for BlueCare Tennessee network providers to stay up to date. Take a look at the June 2026 BlueAlert for these articles and much more:

  • Billing for Prenatal and Postpartum Care
  • Join Us for the June 2026 EPSDT Virtual Coding Workshop
  • Important Reminders for Filing Crossover Claims

New Dental Benefit - Renaissance

Annual Compliance, Cultural Competency and Fraud, Waste and Abuse Training

DUE Dec. 31, 2026

Keeping staff and patients safe is a top priority, and the Renaissance Compliance, Cultural Competency and Fraud, Waste and Abuse the trainings help ensure this by providing best practices for avoiding fraud, waste, and abuse at your practice.

All Renaissance participating staff and dentists must complete this training once each calendar year. Ensuring we comply with these standards allows us to operate better as a team and is mutually beneficial.

Follow the steps on the website to complete the annual training. Please note that your Renaissance participation agreement may be terminated if your business entity does not complete the required training.

Digital-first and paperless initiatives

Did you know you could keep up to date with UHCCP’s digital initiatives online?

Digital is your fastest, most cost-effective path to answers. You can find information, complete your work and communicate with us without picking up the phone. This gives you more time to focus on what matters most — caring for your patients.

National Drug Codes (NDCs) are required for outpatient claims

Wellpoint Provider Notification

To support accurate and timely claims processing, industry guidelines require care providers and facilities to submit National Drug Codes (NDCs) for most outpatient claims that include drug‑related services billed with HCPCS drug codes. Proper NDC submission helps ensure faster reimbursement and reduces claim processing delays.