The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a toolkit to help states strengthen access to behavioral health services for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Medicaid and CHIP cover behavioral health conditions for about 38 million children, making the programs the largest single source of funding for children’s behavioral health services, according to a February report.
The toolkit outlines strategies for improving early screening and intervention, care coordination, crisis services, telehealth and workforce capacity.
The guidance also emphasizes ensuring utilization management and reimbursement policies support early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment requirements.
It is structured around four focus areas: developing and supporting a behavioral healthcare delivery system that can meet a range of children’s needs; promoting early intervention; improving access through service coordination and integration; and increasing workforce capacity.
Among the recommended practices, CMS said states should ensure Medicaid managed care plans have payment structures sufficient to maintain network adequacy and provide access to medically necessary care required under the early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment.
Read the full toolkit here.
