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Authors Posts by Jim Sharp

Jim Sharp

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For providers that may be adding behavioral health services to a primary care practice, you’ll need to be sure you’re getting reimbursed for these new services. That means knowing what you can bill for, learning a web of new codes and numbers, identifying which staff can be reimbursed for providing these services, and training staff to code services appropriately. National Council is inviting primary care providers and their behavioral health partners to join integration experts from primary care centers for a webinar on the practical ins and outs of billing for behavioral health services, to a variety of third-party payers, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Participants need to be ready to discuss the menu of billing options available that can match your center’s needs. After this webinar, participants will:

  • Identify billing options for integrated behavioral health services;
  • Ask questions to identify if Medicaid and Medicare numbers are appropriately linked to the mental health services provided; and
  • Employ tips for working with clinical and billing staff at the same time.

This webinar will be held on Monday, June 6, at 2:00 pm. Practitioners and providers can register here.

RCPA will now distribute information on integrated health care. RCPA INFOS and ALERTS will cover research, delivery and training models, policy issues, and other topics that will inform our members (and their physical health care partners) about collaborative, integrated, and co-located health care. To subscribe to this distribution list, select this link and check “Integrated Care.” This will add to your existing email preference selections.

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People with serious mental illness (SMI) in publically funded mental health organizations have a life expectancy of 25–30 years less than the general population. Mental health organizations from across the United States have the opportunity to apply for support in implementing InSHAPE® within their organizations. InSHAPE® is a wellness program designed to improve the physical health of people with serious mental illness. Organizations who are selected will also participate in a research study to advance understanding of how to implement wellness programs. Applications are due by Friday, June 24.

RCPA will now distribute information on integrated health care. RCPA INFOS and ALERTS will cover research, delivery and training models, policy issues, and other topics that will inform our members (and their physical health care partners) about collaborative, integrated, and co-located health care. To subscribe to this distribution list, select this link and check “Integrated Care.” This will add to your existing email preference selections.

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Last week, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health, Bureau of Policy, Planning and Program, and Bureau of Autism Services, convened the Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) Regulation Work Group. More than 60 managed care, advocacy, and community provider organizations attended, including a strong representation from RCPA autism and general BHRS provider organizations. Initial discussions ranged from a possible name change for BHRS to the regulations that will reflect the federal and state standards for the unique array of services currently included as BHRS for children with a severe emotional disturbance, as well as children with autism.

Work group members have begun to provide DHS with comments and suggestions. Subgroup meetings/conference calls are now being scheduled for early June, when discussions related to service array and evidence-based practices will be the first areas addressed. The determination of the service array is expected to impact broader discussion related to the other key areas.

OMHSAS Leadership to Attend Children’s Committee Meeting
The directors of the Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health, and Bureau of Policy, Planning and Program will be attending the June 8 RCPA Children’s Committee meeting/webcast, to review and discuss the status of the work group, as well as other important OMHSAS initiatives. In addition to the Children’s Committee meeting, RCPA will provide regular updates on the OMHSAS BHRS Regulation Work Group and seek member input to inform the work group process.

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The General Assembly and other community leaders are striving to understand the many challenges facing county and private providers working in the Commonwealth’s child welfare field. The nature of working with the community’s most at-risk children and families, conducting a dramatically growing number of suspected abuse reports, and providing an array of services to children and youth in the dependency and delinquency systems, are daunting professional challenges for case workers and line supervisors. The challenging working conditions, vicarious traumatization, and the ever present fear of an error in judgment or action all contribute to an unacceptable rate of staff attrition across the state. The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute recently issued an infographic looking at the cost of staff turnover and the causes, impact, and potential solutions to this growing problem.

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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has issued a new bulletin: OMHSAS-16-04 Training Requirements for Licensed Behavior Specialists Who Use Behavioral Specialist Consultant-Autism Spectrum Disorder Services to Provide Applied Behavioral Analysis. The new requirements are effective as of Sunday, May 15, 2016. This bulletin applies to organizations, individuals, and entities approved to provide Behavioral Specialist Consultant-Autism Spectrum Disorder (BSC-ASD) services, and who use these services to provide Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) in the fee-for-service and HealthChoices behavioral health managed care delivery systems. The purpose of this bulletin is to notify providers of the training requirements for newly licensed behavior specialists who use BSC-ASD services to provide ABA and who meet the training requirements for the behavior specialist license through trainings approved by the Bureau of Autism Services or the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.

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Pennsylvania is the first state to name April “Autism Acceptance Month.”
As autism awareness continues to grow, Pennsylvania is taking a step forward in the education and inclusion of individuals with autism, as Governor Tom Wolf proclaims April “Autism Acceptance Month.” Pennsylvania is one of the first states in the country to change from “awareness” to “acceptance.” This furthers the work of many families and self-advocates who have expressed the importance of moving from simply raising awareness about autism, to also include, better understand, and accept individuals with autism into full participation in community life.

Data Seminars: Developing, Collecting, and Analyzing
This is a free, statewide training opportunity for professionals who implement autism intervention support plans, collect and develop data tools, analyze data, and make instructional decisions. These seminars will be held across the state at various locations and facilitated by Bureau of Autism Services (BAS) clinical staff. More information and how to register is available on the BAS website.

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In recent years, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) had received concerns regarding the Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health Services (Children’s Bureau). Four major themes emerged from this feedback relating to communication, regulations and policy, operational consistency, and system partner engagement. Last spring, OMHSAS engaged Mercer Consulting to conduct a study of the Children’s Bureau that included three two-hour focus groups with OMHSAS system partners, including representatives from RCPA. The primary goal of the review was to identify ways in which OMHSAS can improve internal operations as well as communication and collaboration.

On Tuesday, Deputy Secretary Dennis Marion shared both an executive summary of the Mercer Independent Study as well as his description of the steps forward that OMHSAS has initiated in response to the concerns and findings. The action items outlined by Deputy Secretary Marion are:

  • Review and consolidation of regulations related to Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS). OMHSAS will engage with stakeholders to draft regulatory changes with the expectation that proposed BHRS regulations will be released for public comment in mid-2017.
  • Strategic reorganization of OMHSAS leadership. On March 7, Shannon Fagan joined OMHSAS as Children’s Bureau director, and Sherry Peters became director of the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Program Development.
  • Organization-wide effort to improve consistency and quality. Moving forward, OMHSAS senior staff will focus on identifying areas of potential improvement, developing strategies to strengthen internal and external processes, promoting an organizational culture of collaboration, coordination, communication, and cohesiveness, and monitoring progress towards addressing the concerns voiced by OMHSAS stakeholders.
  • Emphasis on family and stakeholder engagement. The involvement of PACA, RCPA, BH-MCOs, and their contractors, played an integral role in working to identify issues of concern.
  • A redefining of “customer service.” To address concerns relating to responsiveness and professionalism, internal meetings have been held to stress the importance of holding OMHSAS staff to high standards of customer service.
  • Renewed focus on communications. In response to concerns regarding effectiveness of internal and external communications, Shanna Klucar was appointed as executive assistant to the deputy secretary on January 30.

OMHSAS invites RCPA members and other stakeholders to share comments and concerns regarding Children’s Behavioral Health Services to Shannon Fagan, bureau director, as well as the RCPA Children’s Division. In addition, members may contact OMHSAS leadership Sherry Peters and Shanna Klucar with more general comments and concerns.

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