Bill > S588

This bill amends Chapter 118E of the general laws to establish new payment requirements for behavioral health services within the MassHealth program, which is the state's Medicaid program. Specifically, it mandates that MassHealth and its contracted managed care organizations (MCOs) and behavioral health subcontractors must pay participating acute care hospitals at least 95% of the Medicare inpatient stay rate for "boarder patients." A boarder patient is defined as someone who remains in a hospital emergency department for at least two hours after a doctor has decided they should be admitted or transferred. MassHealth is also required to ensure that all Medicaid MCOs adopt this payment policy and to submit a report to the committee on health care finance within twelve months of the bill's passage, detailing these payments by provider and offering recommendations for better coordinated care and patient placement.