Integration of “behavioral health services” with “somatic care” has been a hot subject for several months, for state government, the MPS and other stakeholders. Since my last column in July, our MPS Behavioral Health Integration Workgroup (BHI Workgroup) has continued to work diligently, studying relevant literature and reports, participating in state workgroup meetings, making our presence known, and contributing actively and significantly to the deliberations with the DHMH and other stakeholders.

Maryland has been working for several months on integration of “behavioral health services” with “somatic care.”  The MPS Behavioral Health Integration Workgroup (BHI Workgroup) has contributed actively to the deliberations with the DHMH and other stakeholders.

 

This link will take you to the CMS Website.  You can check information in past CMS Newsletters from 2008 to present.  Valuable resource for Medicare information.  http://www.cms.gov/FFSProvPartProg/EmailArchive/list.asp#TopOfPage

HHS has adopted a new cost-saving, industry-wide standard for electronic funds transfer (EFT) transactions. The new standard, which health plans must comply with no later than January 1, 2014, creates a tracking system that will simplify the current manual process of reconciling payments.

On April 24, 2008, the MPS held its Annual Dinner at the Tremont Grand Hotel in Baltimore.

  Scott D. Hagaman, M.D.