Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Medical Assistance Services
 
Board
Board of Medical Assistance Services
 
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9/29/21  4:47 pm
Commenter: Letitia Hawkins Beatty, BRBH

MH IOP and PH - intensive inpatient and partial hospital
 
  1. The guidelines are much more astringent than SUD IOP and Day Treatment, but reimburse at a much lower rate.  The staffing types required range from licensed psychiatric providers to Certified Peers.  This type of staffing requires finances to cover salaries and reimbursement rates would need to be on level with staffing compensation.
  2. Availability of qualified staff is a concern.  It is difficult to find certified peer specialists that could become registered to provide peer services.  All of our current peers are still working toward certification.  The guidelines specify that the peer must be registered to provide the service.  I understand that only certified peers can bill PRS services to Medicaid.  But a peer providing services within the MH IOP or PHP structure is not billing individual Peer services and should qualify as a peer on the team providing peer supports. Recommend not requiring certification to serve if not billing.
  3. We do appreciate that the willingness to allow a Nurse Practitioner to fulfill the medication evaluation/assessment requirements. 
CommentID: 100797