You will often hear people call Partners a local management entity/managed care organization or LME/MCO. We think of ourselves as an MCO…a Member Care Organization™.

We help individuals and their families get the mental health, intellectual/developmental disabilities and substance use disorder services and supports that they need. Partners is responsible for ensuring access to care for people who need services in central and western North Carolina.

Partners manages all Medicaid, state and local funding for mental health, I/DD and SUD services for over one million North Carolinians in our covered areas: Burke, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Rutherford, Stanly, Surry, Union and Yadkin counties. Tailored plans went live on July 1, 2024 and Partners now manages physical health and pharmacy services.

Partners is consistently recognized across North Carolina for its Partners Community Model and unwavering commitment to the individuals and families it serves.

History

In 2011, North Carolina’s General Assembly established the first-in-the-nation public Managed Behavioral Health Care system to ensure access to high-quality provider networks, to improve quality of care and to achieve budget predictability through the efficient and effective use of Medicaid resources.

Within North Carolina’s Managed Behavioral Health System, all public funding for MH/IDD/SUD services is managed by North Carolina’s four LME/MCOs.

The system of care we manage is shaped by the choices of our members and their families and is designed to meet the unique needs of each community in our service area. We value our longstanding collaboration with local providers and community stakeholders who share our vision for the highest quality of care for the individuals we serve.