SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1003        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1152

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

John F. Keenan

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to improve access to behavioral health services.

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PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

 

John F. Keenan

Norfolk and Plymouth

 

Dean A. Tran

Worcester and Middlesex

1/30/2019

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

1/31/2019

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

1/31/2019

Elizabeth A. Malia

11th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

2/1/2019


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1003        FILED ON: 1/16/2019

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1152

By Mr. Keenan, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1152) of John F. Keenan, Dean A. Tran, Anne M. Gobi, Jonathan D. Zlotnik and other members of the General Court for legislation to improve access to behavioral health services.  Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act to improve access to behavioral health services.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the Office of Medicaid shall develop a streamlined process to enhance the current community-based behavioral health screening process and direct Medicaid contracted health insurers, health plans, health maintenance organizations, behavioral health management firms and third party administrators under contract to a Medicaid managed care organization or the Medicaid primary care clinician plans to allow admission to inpatient behavioral health services from a community-based setting where a patient is presenting with a behavioral health condition that requires such admission but does not require a medical screening examination in an emergency department.  Said process shall be developed after consultation with a working group that includes representatives from the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems, and all applicable carriers that cover such services. The Office of Medicaid shall file a report on the status of the working group, progress of the streamlined process, and, if necessary, legislative recommendations with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on public health, the joint committee on health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and means no later than six months after the first meeting of the working group. A report of the final implemented streamlined process shall be filed with said committees no later than July 31, 2020.