Is Monday Morning too Early to Think?

October 26, 2020

The reason I enjoy having access to Open Minds (a member benefit you should check out!) is that it makes me think a little harder or in a slightly different way.  These two recent articles definitely have that characteristic!

First, is an article about the future of community supports for individuals with I/DD which approaches the heart of the issue – managed care or no managed care with a very logical (and likely achievable) twist.
It is an important construct to consider now because we have the opportunity in considering re-basing the rates to look forward (as opposed to backward) to plan rates for less intense service options which will nevertheless actually fund sufficient support and be a viable business option for providers.

Second, is an article about the California interpretation of how to structure a mental health parity law. Virginia’s effort was updated again this past full Session because of Senator Barker’s SB280 and was signed in April.  It is easy to see that our more traditional approach emphasizes numbers of day/hours in inpatient, partial hospitalization or outpatient are required which makes the assumption that individuals first must “need” that type of care.  Perhaps we can learn something from the California approach as we “redesign” the service array in the next several years!