About Behavioral Health
California has a behavioral health care crisis, as more Californians need care, and there are not enough providers to deliver that care. As a last resort, those facing a mental health crisis turn to hospital emergency departments. The number of people going to an emergency department for mental health needs jumped 68% from 2010 to 2020; for children 12 to 17 that number climbed 31%. Creating a behavioral health care system means making access easier and more equitable, while ensuring patients receive care in the most appropriate setting.
Update: Key CHA Bills Move Forward as Legislative Session Nears End
What’s happening: Two CHA-sponsored bills are on the governor’s desk and others are working their way through the legislative process. The Legislature is set to adjourn Saturday night.
What else to know: Awaiting action from the governor: Assembly Bill (AB) 1423 would create a critical access hospital funding technical advisory group and AB 1316 would require Medi-Cal managed care plans to pay hospital emergency departments for serving Medi-Cal beneficiaries experiencing a mental health crisis.
CHA to Host Webinar on Buffer Zone Approach to Hospital Crowding
What’s happening: CHA will host a members-only webinar on The Buffer Zone: A Novel Approach to Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Surge in the Era of Hospital Crowding on Aug. 26 from 10-11 a.m. (PT). Registration is open.
What else to know: In this session, Scott Goldberg, MD, MPH, medical director of emergency preparedness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will highlight the hospital’s experience with developing and implementing buffer zones as part of their institution’s MCI plans and highlight the lessons learned during the operationalization of their buffer zone plan.
Summary: FFY 2025 Inpatient Psychiatric Facility PPS Final Rule
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system (PPS) final rule. What else to know: Finalized payment rates are slightly higher than proposed, but still insufficient relative to input cost inflation. In the final rule, CMS:
Hospitals Can Now Apply for Funds to Treat Patients with Behavioral Health Needs
What’s happening: Following the March 2024 passage of CHA-supported Proposition 1, applications are now open for $4.4 billion in new Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) funding to support capital projects that expand the behavioral health services continuum.
What else to know: Hospitals can start the application process now for the first round of grants. Required pre-application consultation must be requested by Oct. 15, and applications are due by Dec. 13.
CMS Releases Post-Acute Care, Psych Payment Final Rules
What’s happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS), skilled-nursing facility (SNF) PPS, inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) PPS, and hospice wage index final rules.
What else to know: The policy and payment provisions in the final rules will be effective for FFY 2025 discharges, beginning Oct. 1.
Disaster Readiness, Quality, Behavioral Health Lead Fall Educational Opportunities
Heading into the second half of 2024, there are several exciting educational opportunities from CHA that you and your teams — depending on their area of responsibility and interest — would benefit from attending.
CHA to Host Webinar on Preparing for Extreme Heat and Smoke Impact in Clinical Settings
What’s happening: CHA will host the members-only Preparing for Extreme Heat and Smoke Impact in Clinical Settings webinar on Aug. 19 at 1 p.m. (PT).
What else to know: The webinar addresses heat-related emergency response plans and protocols and leads into the 2024 Disaster Planning Conference on Sept. 10-11. Registration is open.
Hospitals Eligible to Receive Free Naloxone from DHCS
What’s happening: In 2018, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) established the Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP) to distribute naloxone — also referred to as “Narcan” — and fentanyl testing strips to key stakeholders free of charge.
What else to know: Hospital emergency departments are among those who can apply online to receive free naloxone and testing strips. Since the program’s inception, hospitals have received 332,000 naloxone testing kits and 188,000 fentanyl testing kits.
Behavioral Health Infrastructure Grants Available in July
What’s happening: The Newsom administration will start taking applications for behavioral health infrastructure grants this summer; hospitals will be eligible to apply.
What else to know: When voters passed Proposition 1 on the March 2024 ballot, they approved a $6.4 billion bond to finance new investments in housing and treatment for Californians experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
CHA Comments in Response to IRF, IPF Payment Proposed Rules
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments in response to the federal fiscal year 2025 inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) and inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPF) prospective payment system proposed rules.
What else to know: Comments were due to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by 2 p.m. (PT) on May 28.