SLS 19RS-539 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 94
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Requests the Louisiana Department of Health to submit a report
on the implementation of Act 582 of the 2018 Regular Session relative to specialized
behavioral health rehabilitation services in the Louisiana Medicaid program.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to submit a report on the
3 implementation of Act No. 582 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Legislature
4 relative to specialized behavioral health rehabilitation services in the Louisiana
5 Medicaid program.
6 WHEREAS, on May 31, 2018, Senate Bill 564 was signed into law as Act No. 582
7 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Legislature; and
8 WHEREAS, Act No. 582 was necessary to curtail unfettered growth and program
9 misuse in the Medicaid funded mental health rehabilitation program; and
10 WHEREAS, Act No. 582 provided a regulatory framework for providers of
11 community psychiatric support and treatment services (CPST) and psychosocial
12 rehabilitation services (PSR), including requirements for licensure, accreditation, holding
13 a National Provider Identification Number, and credentialing standards that must be met to
14 be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement; and
15 WHEREAS, Act No. 582 further provided for certain education requirements for any
16 employee of a CPST or PSR licensed agency, specifically that any employee rendering
17 CPST or PSR services on behalf of a licensed agency shall hold a minimum of a bachelor's
18 degree from an accredited university or college in the field of counseling, social work,
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SLS 19RS-539 ORIGINAL
1 psychology, or sociology; and
2 WHEREAS, Act No. 582 further provided for a facility need review program for
3 behavioral health services providers that provide CPST or PSR services preventing the
4 department from issuing facility need review approval for a license to provide CPST or PSR
5 services to any applicant unless the department determines that the evidence and data
6 submitted by the applicant establishes the probability of serious, adverse consequences to
7 recipients' ability to access services if the provider is not allowed to seek licensure; and
8 WHEREAS, Act No. 582 further provided that each behavioral health services
9 provider that provides CPST or PSR services shall employ at least one full-time physician
10 or full-time licensed mental health professional to serve as a full-time mental health
11 supervisor to assist in the design and evaluation of treatment plans for CPST or PSR
12 services; and
13 WHEREAS, these sweeping changes have been in effect for one year and it is
14 imperative that the department inform the legislature of the status of implementation, the
15 outcomes as a result of implementation, and any recommendations for future changes to the
16 CPST or PSR regulatory scheme established in the law.
17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
18 does hereby request the Louisiana Department of Health to submit a report on the
19 implementation of Act No. 582 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Legislature relative to
20 specialized behavioral health rehabilitation services in the Louisiana Medicaid program.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report shall include, at a minimum, the
22 following:
23 (1) The number of CPST providers and PSR providers properly licensed and eligible
24 to receive Medicaid reimbursement in Louisiana and whether the current number meets
25 patient needs.
26 (2) The number of CPST providers and PSR providers that did not meet the
27 requirements for licensure, accreditation, holding a National Provider Identification Number,
28 or credentialing standards and have therefore been ineligible for Medicaid reimbursement.
29 (3) The number of CPST providers and PSR providers that have experienced
30 difficulty in securing employees that hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an
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SLS 19RS-539 ORIGINAL
1 accredited university or college in the field of counseling, social work, psychology, or
2 sociology and whether these allowable degrees should be expanded to include other degree
3 types such as human services, social sciences, forensic psychology, or general studies with
4 concentrations in psychology, social science, or sociology.
5 (4) The number of CPST providers and PSR providers that have submitted a request
6 for facility need review and of those, the number approved and the number denied and
7 whether facility need review is still necessary for these programs.
8 (5) The number of CPST providers and PSR providers that have indicated any
9 concerns with employing at least one full-time physician or full-time licensed mental health
10 professional to serve as a full-time mental health supervisor to assist in the design and
11 evaluation of treatment plans for CPST or PSR services.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that on or before October 1, 2019, the department
13 shall submit the implementation and outcome data requested, in addition to any observations
14 or recommendations for future changes as may be necessary to ensure the effectiveness,
15 efficiency, and long-term stabilization of Medicaid funded CPST and PSR services for
16 Louisiana Medicaid recipients.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
18 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christine Arbo Peck.
DIGEST
SR 94 Original 2019 Regular Session Boudreaux
Requests the La. Dept. of Health to submit a report on or before October 1, 2019, on the
implementation of Act 582 of the 2018 R.S. relative to specialized behavioral health
rehabilitation services in the Louisiana Medicaid program.
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