November 12, 2021

The NYS Council has been working alongside our association colleagues on a joint Outpatient Clinic Rate Reform proposal that, if enacted, would begin to address the deep financial hole many OMH Article 31 and OASAS Article 32-Part 822 Outpatient Clinic providers find themselves in at the present time.  As you will see in the materials, demand for these services far outweighs availability.  New Yorkers deserve an immediate fix to this dangerous situation

Last month the NYS Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the NYS Association for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers, and The Coalition for Behavioral Health convened a workgroup with member agency representation that reviewed the present clinic rate methodology and made recommendations for a more successful reimbursement model that would positively impact providers across New York State. The workgroup process, led by HMA’s Josh Rubin, was a tight and comprehensive one. 

We are sharing two documents with you that highlight the work we accomplished: a power point deck that we presented to OMH & OASAS this morning, and a word document with additional details and methodology.  We are proud of our Rate Reform proposal, and we are grateful to those NYS Council members who participated on the Workgroup.  Our next step is to meet with representatives from the Governor’s Office and the Division of Budget.  

I hope you will join us Thursday, November 18 at 9:15 for our next NYS Council Public Policy and Member Support call when we will discuss all of our budget requests including the materials.  

Please take a moment to review the materials and share your feedback.  

Thanks to all!

Lauri

NYS Council Outpatient Clinic Rate Reform Workgroup members:   

Charlotte Ostman, CEO, MHA of Westchester  

Ron Acker, CFO, The Jewish Board 

Erin DiGirolamo, CFO, Horizon Health  

David LePage, CFO, Behavioral Health Services North   

Nancy Manigat, COO, CN Guidance and Counseling Services  

Eliott Klein, CEO, NY Psychotherapy and Counseling Center