SB 293

This bill requires the Department of Health Services (DHS) to develop mental

health pilot projects and create access to information on availability of inpatient

psychiatric beds. DHS must create and award at least two pilot projects under the

criteria specified in the bill to test alternative, coordinated care delivery and

payment models designed to reduce costs of Medical Assistance (MA) recipients who

have significant or chronic mental illness. DHS must create and award one pilot

project to test new MA payment models for adult recipients that is designed to

encourage the provision of psychiatric consultations by psychiatrists to health care

providers treating primary care issues and to selected specialty health care providers

to help those providers manage and treat adults with mild to moderate mental

illness. Under the bill, DHS awards the pilot projects to health care providers

meeting criteria specified in the bill.

The bill also requires DHS to award a grant to an entity that is already under

contract to collect, analyze, and disseminate health care information of hospitals and

ambulatory surgery centers. To receive the grant, the entity must develop and

operate an Internet site and system to enable inpatient psychiatric units or hospitals

to enter certain information on availability of inpatient psychiatric beds and to

enable any hospital emergency department in the state to view the information

reported to the system.