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Minutes for SB138 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Establishing certification and funding for certified community behavioral health clinics.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 23, 2021
Chairperson Hilderbrand opened the hearing on SB138.
Jenna Moyer, Staff Revisor gave an overview of SB138.
Kyle Kessler testified in support of SB138. He stated that SB138 addresses the mental health and addiction crises that Kansans face with our current overdose and suicide epidemics that have only worsened due to COVID-19. SB138 seeks to create a certification process for CMHCs to ensure they are providing the nine key service areas required for a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). (Attachment 6)
Sheriff David Groves said in his proponent testimony that as a border state, clinicians are hired and trained in Kansas and then cross over the state line once they gain a little experience and make a considerable amount of more money and that is one reason he and the Kansas Sheriffs' Association are a proponent of SB138, as it will allow CCBHCs to be competitive in recruiting and retaining staff. Also the passage of SB138 would allow veterans and current armed forces members to receive specialized services close to home without traveling several hours across the state and also enable mental health professionals the ability to respond to scenes where a resident is experiencing a crisis. (Attachment 7)
Amy Campbell, spoke as a proponent of SB138. She said SB138 fulfills a recommendation from the Special Committee on Mental Health Modernization and Reform. One of the priority recommendations of that report is to participate in the federal CCBHC program. (Attachment 8)
Steve Denney testified in support of SB138. As the Deputy Director of Four County Mental Health Center, Inc. (FCMHC) he stated that they were they only grantee who received a CCBHC-expansion grant in Kansas in May of 2020. FCMHC has focused on expanding care to adults with severe mental illness and veterans. Being "data driven" is a cornerstone of the CCBHC Model of Care and involves nine core outcomes that must be tracked and reported. These outcomes include suicide risk assessment screening, substance use screening, access to care standards, and follow up after inpatient admissions. (Attachment 9)
Tim DeWeese spoke in support of SB138 stating that as Kansas explores opportunities to implement the CCBHC initiative via Medicaid waivers or State Plan Amendments it is clear that the CCBHC designation will place an emphasis on quality of service; CCBHCs will receive an enhanced medicaid payment through a daily or monthly Prospective Payment System (PPS) rate that is clinic-specific and reimburses the expected cost of demonstration services and finally, the CCBHC model deliver the Triple Aim of Health Care - if you provide Access to services and you provide them in a High-Quality way with positive outcomes, then you see Cost Containment across all systems of care. (Attachment 10)
Joan Tammany gave proponent testimony and said that the needs in communities are great and this model of service delivery is a critical step forward toward assuring timely access to high quality specialty services are available to all. She stated that Kansas can do better, and CCBHCs is a solution that is working across the United States. (Attachment 11)
Stacy Manbeck, in her proponent testimony, said that bringing the CCBHC system of care to Kansas will improve the ability to recruit and retain a qualified workforce by offering the Kansas workforce fair and comparable compensation to that of neighboring states. Maintaining a robust and qualified staff is essential to the delivery of the wide array of services which will be made available through the CCBHC model. (Attachment 12)
Sarah Fertig testified with neutral testimony. She stated that KDHE is neutral on the policy questions of whether to implement CCHBCs in Kansas. They believe the CCBHC model has promise, but significant work my be done before the model can be implemented. KDHE is asking for an amendment delaying the go-live date prescribed in subsection (e) to May 1, 2022. (Attachment 13)
Questions were asked by committee members.
Written only neutral testimony was submitted by:
Laura Howard, Secretary of Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (Attachment 14)
Chairperson Hilderbrand closed the hearing on SB138 and adjourned the meeting at 9:25 a.m. The next scheduled meeting is February 24, 2021.
