Following a competitive procurement, Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG) was engaged to review DHSS’ behavioral health services. DHSS’ behavioral health programs are administered primarily by the Division of Behavioral Health, but service components that impact the behavioral health system can also be found in other program units throughout the Department. The Division of Health Care Services and the Division of Public Assistance also play an administrative role in limited aspects of the behavioral health system.
PCG was tasked with 13 distinct review objectives spanning all facets of the Department’s behavioral health system. The study began in November 2014 and encompassed reviews of available data and reports, site visits to behavioral health provider and agency offices throughout the state, attendance at public forums, and interviews with state staff, behavioral health providers, and stakeholders.
Key findings and recommendations are summarized into the following categories:
Table of Potential Statutory and Regulatory Changes
The review highlights several areas where statutory or regulatory changes should be considered.
| Recommendation Number | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 5.5.8 | The State should reform Title 12 to distinguish between violent and non-violent misdemeanor offences in the code governing forensic psychiatric evaluations for misdemeanor offenders. |
| 13.2.3 | The State should consider increasing criminal penalties for Medicaid fraud and assessing interest and additional financial penalties on individuals convicted of Medicaid fraud. |
| 13.2.4 | The State should consider strengthening its seizure laws and consider bonding requirements for high-risk providers. |
| 13.2.5 | The State should create a robust prescription drug control program, including financial support for and upgrade of the Prescription Drug Database to real-time functionality and removing statutory barriers to state agency access to the database to facilitate fraud identification and drug abuse prevention. |