The Maryland Department of Health extended a temporary suspension on certain new Medicaid behavioral health provider enrollments amid efforts to address potential fraud, waste and abuse and ensure provider quality, according to a June 24 news release from the department.
Here are three things to know:
- The moratorium extension runs for six months starting July 1. It applies to four behavioral health programs and services licensed under Maryland regulations: Psychiatric rehabilitation programs, psychiatric rehabilitation programs, level 2.5 partial hospital programs and level 2.1 intensive outpatient treatment programs.
- The pause affects providers in 10 Maryland jurisdictions. Those are Anne Arundel County, the city of Baltimore, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Washington County.
- The licensure process for providers seeking to become licensed community behavioral health providers will continue. The department will also maintain enrollment processes for existing provider Medicaid revalidations, relocations, mergers and acquisitions. The department remains focused on maintaining fiscal integrity while preserving access to behavioral health services, Rachel Talley, MD, the state’s deputy secretary of behavioral health administration, said in the release.
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