Providing Behavioral Health Services to Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees
This report by the Medicaid Institute at the United Hospital Fund identifies best practices in financing and delivering behavioral health services for Medicaid managed care beneficiaries with severe and persistent mental illness. In order to achieve better outcomes at a more reasonable cost, the report suggests integrated management of physical and mental health services.
Specifically the report recommends: (1) contracting with existing managed care organizations to develop care management programs that support physical-behavioral homes for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness; (2) contracting with a new behavioral health organization with sufficient infrastructure to support a network of behavioral health care homes for supplemental security income beneficiaries with severe and persistent mental illness. The report suggests providing incentives to facilitate integration by holding physical and mental health providers jointly accountable for improved utilization, outcomes, and costs. In either of these scenarios, a strong state procurement effort for integrated care management activities is needed.
Please click here to read the full report.