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Minutes for HB2160 - Committee on Health and Human Services
Short Title
Establishing certification and funding for certified community behavioral health clinics.
Minutes Content for Thu, Feb 4, 2021
The Chairperson Landwehr opened the hearing on HB2160 at 1:36 pm.
Scott Abbott, Assistant Revisor, Office of The Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of HB2160 and the statutes that it affects. There is a Fiscal Note for HB2160.
PROPONENTS
Kyle Kessler, Executive Director, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Inc., appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. This bill will create the initial steps to build Kansas Competitive Health Care Providers (KCHCP) model in a way that syncs with what has proven to work nationally and can be tailored to meet Kansas' needs through our own certification process, a component that all statewide Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CBHC) models have created. This legislation would ensure Kansas is not only meeting the needs of our communities but also that we are competitive for our mental health and addictions provider workforce. (Attachment 1)
Steve Denny, Deputy Director, Four County Medical Health Center, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. This system creates a fundamental shift in how behavioral health organizations receive payment from the Medicaid system by establishing a day (PPS 1) or monthly rate (PPS 2). This model allows centers to deliver positions and programs based on actual cost. Our current system is heavily dependent on 'fee for service' which creates pressure to focus more on 'time spent' with a client. The PPS system still emphasizes visits and contacts, but attaches payment to outcomes and quality measures. This creates the opportunity for providers to focus both on time spent and quality of time spent based on the needs of the population. The cost-based system creates the opportunity to modernize the mental health system and stabilize a long under-funded system. It most certainly will improve care to adults with severe mental illness and children with severe emotional disturbance. (Attachment 2)
Tim DeWeese, Director, Johnson County Mental Health Center appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. This bill would provide a roadmap forward to improving the health and well-being of the entire State of Kansas. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are leading a bold shift to increase access to high-quality mental health and addiction treatment which is making a difference in the lives of thousands of individuals and communities across the nation. (Attachment 3)
Joan Tammany, Executive Director, COMCARE of Sedgwick County, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. This model of service delivery is a critical step forward toward assuring timely access to high quality specialty services are available to all. At the heart of the CCBHC model there is a universal set of requirements around staffing, service array, reporting requirement etc. with Medicaid payment rates that cover the real costs of delivering these enhanced services. But, more importantly more people get the services they need which is the mot important part of this transformation. This an result in reduced wait times for services, universal screenings for drug use, suicidality, anxiety, etc. at all levels of the organization which promotes prevention instead of crisis. (Attachment 4)
Walter Hill, Executive Director, High Plains Mental Health, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. Codifying a system of CCBHCs recognized in Kansas would allow for increased resources for a variety of our most needy Kansas citizens, including seriously mentally ill adults, veterans, severely emotionally disturbed youth, and those with substance use disorders and dual substance use and mental disorders. (Attachment 5)
Randy Callstrom, Wyandot Behavioral Health Network, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. HB2160 provides an opportunity to enhance mental health services for Kansans and provide desperately needed funding for Community Mental Health Centers. It is the best opportunity in a generation to transform the system of care for some of the most vulnerable citizens in the state. (Attachment 6)
Amy Campbell, Lobbyist, Kansas Mental Health Coalition, appeared before the Committee in support of HB2160. HB2160 fulfills a recommendation from the Special Committee on Mental Health Modernization and Reform. CCBHCs adopt a standard model to improve the quality and availability of addictions and mental health care and, in doing so, address some of the nation's mot urgent challenges They provide care to people regardless of ability to pay -- those who are under served; have low incomes; are insured, uninsured or on Medicaid; and active duty military or veterans. CCBHCs are different than other federally funded mental health providers: they must, by statute, provide a comprehensive range of addition and mental health services. (Attachment 7)
Kansas Association of Addiction Professionals (KAAP) provided written only testimony in support of HB2160. The CBHC model is designed to provide comprehensive care that meets needs of individuals with mental health and addictions. It is a community-based model emphasizing integrated care. It is critical that CCBHC programs have robust mental health and substance use disorder integration. CBHCs have been shown to increase access to care reaching individuals with unmet needs and reducing wait times for services. The CCBHC model provides an integrated and sustainably financed model for care delivery. It is designed to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorder services to vulnerable individuals and KAAP support its development and deployment in Kansas. (Attachment 8)
Sean Gatewood, KanCare Advocates Network, provided written only testimony in support of HB2160. HB2160 provides a more seamless model to integrate behavioral health with physical health. Patients that have chronic health conditions that also have behavioral health conditions struggle to manage both and housing both sides under one roof will improve their care an lead to better outcomes. We also know that our bordering states have already. (Attachment 9)
NEUTRAL
Sara Fertig, State Medicaid Director, Division of Health Care Finance, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), appeared before the Committee with neutral testimony of HB2160. The KDHE is neutral on the policy question of whether to implement CCBHCs in Kansas; however, we would respectfully ask for more time to implement the program responsibly. We would likely need at least 18 months for planning and implementation. (Attachment10)
Laura Howard, Secretary, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), submitted written neutral testimony of HB2160. KDADS recommends giving the administration more time to assess the readiness of CMHCs, build capacity within state infrastructure to support certification and prospective payment systems, and plan for implementation of CCBHCs in the most significant overhaul in our state's Behavioral Health delivery system since the 1990s. (Attachment 11)
OPPONENTS
There was no OPPONENT testimony submitted.
The hearing on HB2160 was closed at 2:43 pm.
The Chairperson adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:44 pm.
