Newsletter (September 2020)
Newsletter (January 2022)
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In This Issue
Behavioral Health Reform in Colorado: What’s Going on in 2022?
Behavioral Health Reform Legislation
Strengthening Community Connections
A New Behavioral Health Administration for Colorado
Continuing the Work of Behavioral Health Integration
Resources !!!
Behavioral Health Reform in Colorado: What’s Going on in 2022?
As we head into the new year, we wanted to use this issue of our quarterly newsletter to demystify some of the programs and acronyms that are a part of the ongoing behavioral health reform efforts in Colorado. While the need for quality behavioral health care has long existed in our state, it has become even clearer during the pandemic that the current support system is not working for everyone. Additionally, the past two years have brought increasing levels of provider burnout in tandem with the increased need for mental health and substance use services.
In response, the general assembly passed several pivotal pieces of legislation in the 2021 session which will shape services in the coming year. 2022 will also see the creation of the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and the development of new legislation determining its roles and function. In addition to these broader responses, the Accountable Care Collaborative Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) and its Behavioral Health and Integration Strategies Subcommittee (BHIS) continue to consider how Medicaid payment structures can better support integrated, quality behavioral health care. While there are many other important programs and organizations involved in the work, we’ve chosen to focus on some of the larger, statewide initiatives in this issue.
Behavioral Health Reform Legislation
Last June, the legislature passed SB21-137, the “Behavioral Health Recovery Act of 2021” (BHRA). In this act, state lawmakers set aside $550 Million of the federal “American Rescue Plan Act” (ARPA) funding to address the behavioral health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic. As a part of this bill, the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force (BHTTF) was established to look into and make recommendations on where these funds should be invested to increase access to behavioral health care. The task force and its subpanel, which are made up of legislators, state officials, stakeholders, and community members, has been meeting during the interim months to hear from the public and determine which areas are in greatest need. This Wednesday, they released a preliminary draft of their recommendations, which feature investments in residential services, behavioral health integration, and workforce, along with grants for community-based services and criminal justice programs. Once finalized, these will be sent to the Governor and the General Assembly for review during the upcoming 2022 legislative session.
Strengthening Community Connections
SB21-137 also allocated funds to the Regional Health Connector (RHC) program to increase behavioral health access and integration across the state. As the host of the RHC for Denver, we have conducted a data scan of the primary behavioral health needs in Denver and are currently developing our action plan. Our goal for the SB21-137 work is to connect Denverites in under-resourced areas to culturally relevant community resources, groups, and events. Social connectedness has been shown to assist in suicide prevention (Preventing Suicide, p. 29) and be associated with improved mental health (see the articles here and here, among others) and resilience.
By educating primary care practices about these resources, we hope to increase awareness of non-clinical supports that are available in the communities we live in. This November, we welcomed our new RHC, Kim McDevitt, who will support this new work and our ongoing efforts to connect primary care practices to community resources. In addition to the support from SB21-137, MHHA was recently awarded a grant from the Caring for Denver Foundation in their Care Provision priority area. We are grateful for this support as it will enable us to continue and expand this behavioral health work.
A New Behavioral Health Administration for Colorado
In April 2019, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) was tasked with heading up the Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF, not to be confused with the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force) which would investigate the needs of the state and make recommendations for change. The BHTF’s report, published in September of 2020, contained more than 100 recommendations, among which was the creation of a Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to oversee and coordinate behavioral health care in Colorado. Following these recommendations, the legislature passed HB 21-1097, which set the planning of this new administration in motion. After months of soliciting feedback from stakeholders and members of the public on how the BHA should operate (see the summary of these engagement sessions here), a plan for the creation and function of the BHA was submitted to the legislature in November 1st (read the executive summary here). Take a look at the 2021 Year in Review infographic for a helpful summary of BHA work that took place last year.
Coming up in 2022, a bill draft will be released in early January and CDHS will host public hearings to allow for feedback. Check the webpage for further information about these hearings. This bill, if approved in the 2022 legislative session, will formally establish the role and responsibilities of the BHA. This week, the new Behavioral Health Commissioner, Dr. Morgan Medlock, was announced. Dr. Medlock will bring her expertise in psychiatry and public health to her position as a new member of Governor Polis’ cabinet. The plan is to have the BHA operational by July 1st, 2022. To stay up to date on the latest BHA developments this year, subscribe to this newsletter.
Continuing the Work of Behavioral Health Integration
This year, MHHA is continuing to participate in the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Program Improvement Advisory Committee (PIAC) in order to provide feedback on health care delivery and integration for Medicaid members. One of the primary goals of the ACC program is to integrate physical and behavioral health care and improve care coordination through the Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs). This year, the PIAC will continue to discuss ways to improve the delivery of care, including how to address the workforce challenges that we are facing. Meetings of the Behavioral Health and Integration Strategies Subcommittee (BHIS) of the PIAC go into even more depth by identifying gaps in behavioral health care and discussing strategies to improve these services for Health First Colorado members. BHIS is currently accepting applications for new voting members to join and add their voice. If you are interested in serving, fill out the application form here. To receive updates from BHIS about upcoming meetings, you can subscribe here.
We look forward to supporting all of these reform efforts this year and could not do so without your input and collaboration. In addition to rethinking our systems of behavioral health care, it is vital that we consider the factors outside of it that impact health. This is by no means an isolated issue. Our mental health and well being is intertwined with structural and societal factors such as housing quality and affordability, access to health care, access to healthy food, and employment opportunities. We will continue to fight for equity in all these areas, so that Denverites can lead healthy lives in the neighborhoods where they live, work, and play.
Resources !!!
- Resources are available for those affected by the devastating fires in Boulder County
- To learn how you can help, see this article from the Denver Post.
- The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) is providing information about insurance for those impacted on their website. They have also directed health insurance carriers to waive certain pre-authorizations and medical necessity requirements for those affected by the fire.
- Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) released this guide for obtaining prescription refills.
- The “No Surprises Act” went into effect on January 1st. The law will protect patients from most surprise out-of-network medical bills following out-of-network emergency treatment. This KFF brief summarizes the act and highlights what to expect as these new protections are put into place. DOI is currently evaluating the overlap between this federal law and Colorado’s Out-of-Network Health Care Services law (HB19-1174), which went into effect on January 1st, 2020.
- Recruitment for Facilitating Alcohol Screening and Treatment (FAST): Enroll now in this valuable project that can assist practices in improving their care for patients with unhealthy alcohol use. Practices may enroll directly through the link on this flyer, or if they have questions, contact Allyson.Gottsman@cuanschutz.edu or 303-915-7701
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