Amendment #13 to S2142
Increased Data Collection and Reporting on Statewide Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services
Mr. Basile of Boston moves to amend the bill be amended by adding at the end thereof the following sections:-
SECTION XX. The department of public health in consultation with the center for health information and analysis shall publish an annual report on the effectiveness of substance abuse disorder treatment and prevention interventions across the commonwealth. The report should document year-to-year progress in achieving the goals of improving access to substance abuse disorder services and outcomes. The report shall include year-to-year changes in reported opioid-related overdose cases; mortality rates; geographic disparities in opioid-related overdose cases; and total section 35 civil commitments. The report shall also include an analysis of utilization patterns for substance use disorder services, across the continuum of care, including number and length of withdrawal management services, clinical stabilization services, inpatient stays, outpatient visits, community-based therapies, and medication assisted therapies. The department shall publish an annual report, not later than December 31 of each year, of its findings. The report shall be posted on the department’s website and shall be filed with the house of representatives and senate clerks, the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse and the health policy commission.
SECTION XX. Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, center for health and information and analysis, in consultation with the division of insurance, the department of public health and the department of mental health, shall conduct an analysis on access, utilization and cost drivers for mental health and substance abuse services in the commonwealth, measuring access to care across the behavioral health continuum of care, trends in utilization of services across the continuum of care, and payment rates by public and private payers. The center shall publish a report containing its finding and compare the Massachusetts results with national and regional behavioral health data.
As part of its report, the center shall report on price variation between behavioral health care providers, by payer and provider type and whether such variation impacts access to mental health and substance abuse services.
The center shall work with MassHealth to collect mental health and substance abuse claims data in a manner that is consistent with the data collected by the center from health plans pursuant to 10 of M.G.L Chapter 12C, Section 10.
The center shall publish and provide a copy of the report to health policy commission, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse no later than October 1, 2014. The center may contract with an outside organization with expertise in issues related to the topics of the hearings to produce this report.