Mental Health Curve Out

 

The Problem

 

Most children who need mental health/substance abuse services do not get them.

 

Half of all children in the child welfare system has serious enough mental health issues to warrant medical intervention

 

Children are hampered by multiple payer sources, provider organizations and jurisdictional authorities.

 

Children frequently move between payer sources and provider organizations

 

Providers of children services report difficulty recovering their cost of providing services. 

 

Georgia spends less per capita for its children mental health care than most states.

 

Too many children in too high of levels of care – less than a third is for home and community based care

 

Children are lost in an adult based physical and behavioral care system.

 

Evidence Based Practice

 

Multi-agency coordination of behavioral health services for children is effective – KidsNet, MATCH, MAAC

 

Coordination of the Manage Care Organization specifically for children’s behavioral health services is effective

 

Delaware, Arizona, New Jersey and North Carolina has shown remarkable results utilizing a an integrated and coordinated mental health system.

 

A locus of Accountability through Care Coordinating entities for children shows promising results.

 

Recommendation - Create a integrated public mental health service delivery system for children

 

Move all children who are under PeachCare, Medicaid, and the Division of Mental Health under one Care Management Organization

 

Maximize Medicaid reimbursement through the expansion of Medicaid Rehab Option to finance Home and Community Based Services. 

 

Require Coordination Entities like KidsNet to manage the behavioral health care of all children.

 

Require the tracking of outcomes in regard to all children who touch the State system of behavioral health care