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WellCare will be performing maintenance on Saturday, December 21, from 6 P.M. EDT to 8 A.M. EDT the next day. You might not be able to access systems or fax during this time. We are sorry for any issues this may cause. Thank you for your patience. If you need assistance, contact us.

In Lieu of Services

WellCare of North Carolina offers services or settings that are appropriate alternatives to services covered by NC Medicaid. These are called “in lieu of” services. WellCare of North Carolina offers the following in lieu of services:

  • Mental Health Intensive Outpatient Treatment
  • Institute for Mental Disease for Acute Psychiatric Care
  • Behavioral Health Urgent Care
  • Programs for High Risk Populations

These are affordable options to services such as hospital stays and emergency department visits.

Intensive Outpatient for Mental Health (IOP) offers professional care, as well as peer support by those with lived experience. This service may be appropriate for:

  • Members needing more intensive care (but not inpatient treatment); or
  • Members leaving inpatient care who need more than outpatient support.

Institute for Mental Disease for Acute Psychiatric Care (IMD) provides access to continuous evaluation and treatment for inpatient psychiatric or substance use disorders. Eligible members age 21-64 may be treated for up to 15 days per calendar month in an IMD.

Behavioral Health Urgent Care (BHUC) is for members having behavioral health crises. After triage to assess the need for urgent or emergent services, BHUC may include help from nurses and psychiatrists, case management, and discharge planning.

Programs for High Risk Populations offers in-home services to help members transition to community-based services. This includes crisis response services for up to 120 days. This is a time-limited, intensive child and family intervention. It is based on the clinical needs of members age 5-17 at risk for foster care or need extensive outpatient help after leaving a hospital setting.

Member Rights

Deciding if an ILOS is right for you is a team effort. We work with your care team to make the best choice. The choice, however, is yours. You do not have to take part in any of these programs.

If you have any questions about any of the benefits or services above, call Member Services 1-866-799-5318 (TTY: 711).