MASSHEALTH CHILDREN’S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

As a result of a court case, the Commonwealth is implementing changes in children’s behavioral health for those with MassHealth. As of December 2007, MassHealth now requires primary-care doctors and nurses to offer to use a standardized behavioral-health (mental health and substance abuse) screening tool at every well-child visit for MassHealth members who are under the age of 21 to help detect issues with behavioral health, social-emotional well-being, or mental health.

Behavioral Health Follow-up After Well-Child Visits
To follow-up on this increased outreach, starting in late 2008, behavioral-health providers will be required to assess MassHealth members under age 21 who seek care from them using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool. The CANS tool will help the behavioral-health provider collect information and make recommendations about behavioral-health needs.

MassHealth will soon cover several new behavioral-health services
MassHealth Standard and CommonHealth members under the age of 21 who are found to have a serious emotional disturbance will have access to a new range of services. This also includes children and young adults who have both a serious emotional disturbance and another condition such as autism spectrum disorder. Once MassHealth gets approval from the federal government for these services more information will be forthcoming, but the services outlined in court documents include Intensive Care Coordination and Treatment Planning, Mobile Crisis Intervention and Crisis Stabilization and In-Home Behavioral Services (including behavior management therapy and behavior management monitoring), In- Home Therapy Services (including a therapeutic clinical intervention and ongoing training and therapeutic support), and Mentor Services.

Important phone numbers:

• MassHealth Customer Service 1-800-841-2900 TTY: 1-800-497-4648 (for people with partial or total hearing loss)
• Boston Medical Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership 1-800-495-0086 TTY: 617-790-4130 (for people with partial or total hearing loss)

See also: The Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative webpage:
http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2subtopic&L=4&L0=Home&L1=Government&L2=Special+Commissions+and+Initiatives&L3=Childrens+Behavioral+Health+Initiative&sid=Eeohhs2
-Adapted from: “An important message about care for children and young adults on MassHealth” from: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/masshealth/memlibrary/epsdt-cbh-fs1.pdf and judgment in Rosie D, et al v. Patrick retrieved from: http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/masshealth/research/child_bh-hlthjudgement.pdf.

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