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2020 Session

Budget Amendments - HB30 (Conference Report)

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Community Behavioral Health Managed Care Requirements (language only)

Item 313 #32c

Item 313 #32c

Health and Human Resources
Department of Medical Assistance Services

Language

Page 296, line 15, insert:

"3.  Effective July 1, 2020, the Department of Medical Assistance Services shall amend its CCC Plus and Medallion 4.0 contracts with managed care organizations (MCOs) to include the following provisions related to community mental health and rehabilitation services:

a) Clarify that required response times are based on calendar days, not business days.

b) Require that, in any case where a service authorization or reauthorization for community mental health and rehabilitation services, is not approved or denied within the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) response time standard, the provider shall assume to have approval to provide the service and receive payment until date of denial.

c) Clarify response time requirements for weekends and holidays, to the extent that they differ from the NCQA response time standards.

d) Clarify how MCOs are to determine if a service authorization is considered urgent or non-urgent as it pertains to the NCQA response time standards.

3. The department shall amend its contracts with managed care organizations to direct the MCOs to modify their contracts with providers to include the requirements from paragraphs a. through d. above.

4. The department shall track and report on compliance with NCQA response time standards for each MCO, broken down by service type. Such tracking shall include:  (i)  How often total response time, from initial submittal until service authorization or denial, exceeds the NCQA standards; and (ii) How often appeals are filed, and of those, how often are services subsequently approved and how often they are denied.  The department shall publish the data on these items on a quarterly basis to the department's website."

Page 296, line 16, strike "3" and insert "4".



Explanation

(This amendment requires the Department of Medical Assistance Services to amend its contracts with managed care organization to ensure service authorizations for community mental health and rehabilitation services are handled in a timely and transparent manner.)