Behavioral Health News & Events
Volume 2, Issue 2 | April 2014
Statewide Happenings
TennCare Redesigns Community-Based Services for
Children and Youth
Services for Children and Youth
TennCare, in partnership with Amerigroup, BlueCare Tennessee and
UnitedHealthcare, has announced applications for a pilot program for the
newly designed Mental Health Community-Based Services for Children and
Youth. This design includes Mental Health Care Coordination and HomeBased Treatment. The redesign is a team-based approach that promotes
System of Care philosophy. Some treatment goals include decreasing
emergency room utilization, crisis services usage, court and DCS
involvement, dysfunctional behaviors, and adverse childhood experiences.
The hope is that there will be an increase in family preservation, positive
school performance, resiliency and recovery, solid parenting skills and
collaboration among formal and informal service providers. The pilot will
begin in middle Tennessee with providers from urban and rural areas. The
plan is to learn about successes and barriers and make any necessary
adjustments before implementing the redesigned model in other areas.
released an Announcement of Funding for Mobile Crisis Services
The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
for Children and Youth. Applications were due on February 28th,
2014. Announcements are expected to be made on April 17th,
2014 with implementation in the 2014-2015 Fiscal Year. The
state is moving toward services being rendered regionally where
providers have relationships with traditional and nontraditional
community supports to best meet the needs of children and
their families. In addition, multiple provider contracts will allow
the state to compare and benchmark specific outcome measures
for quality improvement efforts.
Announcement of Funding Regarding Mobile Crisis
National Happenings
Congress Approves 1-Year Delay to ICD-10
Medicare to Roll Back Part D Drug Restrictions
A little-noticed provision in the Medicare
physician pay fix passed by Congress this
week will delay for one year the
implementation of ICD-10. Under the new
rules, providers will not be required to adopt
ICD-10 until October 1, 2015.
The National Council has just
received word that the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) is abandoning its recent
proposal to strip mental health
drugs and immunosuppresants of their protected status in
Medicare.
Previously, the move to the new coding system was set for this fall.
Provider groups and hospitals have spent large sums preparing for the
transition and training staff to use the new system, but some –
particularly smaller organizations – were struggling to meet the
upcoming 2014 deadline.
Now, the one-year delay leaves the healthcare field seeking
clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Provider organizations that would have been ready to adopt ICD-10 in
October wonder whether they can voluntarily begin using ICD-10
before 2015. Some analysts have even raised the question of whether
CMS might ditch ICD-10 altogether and wait for ICD-11, which will be
issued in 2017.
Page 6
CMS said its decision came in response to massive vocal pushback
from healthcare consumers, advocates, and congressional leaders.
Congratulations - your efforts paid off!
Members of the National Council and the Partnership for Part D
Access submitted well over 1,000 comments to CMS opposing the
drug restrictions. Grassroots advocacy is one of the most powerful
ways to influence public policy - and your efforts have once again
demonstrated our collective strength.
Thank you for your hard work! I hope you will take a moment
today to celebrate this success. You deserve it.