Behavioral Health

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.

Mental Health Parity Rules Finalized

What’s happening: The departments of the Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services have finalized rules to improve access to mental health services by requiring health plans to make changes when inadequate access is provided.   

What else to know: The final rule reinforces the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA), which requires health plans to ensure that access to mental health or substance use disorder care is not more restrictive than access to medical and surgical benefits.  

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.   

The Buffer Zone: A Novel Approach to MCI Surge in the Era of Hospital Crowding

Creating immediate surge capacity for critically injured patients in a mass casualty incident (MCI) is critical in MCI response. However, the current era of hospital overcrowding and emergency department (ED) boarding has undermined the ability of the ED to create surge capacity. Brigham and Women’s Hospital has leveraged the buffer zone concept within their ED […]