A recent survey by the Institute for Medicaid Innovation found that 80% of Medicaid managed care organizations reported barriers related to workforce, data sharing, care integration, and persistent stigma when supporting the needs of those enrolled in the Medicaid program.
The survey, now in its ninth year, aims to provide Medicaid stakeholders with information to accurately articulate the national narrative about Medicaid managed care.
Survey results indicate that 91% of health plans identified the need for Medicaid agencies to facilitate greater participation in the Medicaid program on the part of behavioral health clinicians, while also facilitating initiatives to grow the behavioral health workforce.
Additionally, 77% of health plans identified cover codes for mental health screening, peer support, and collaborative care as a key opportunity for state Medicaid agencies to lean in.
Integrating behavioral and physical health faces obstacles such as 64% of health plans citing fragmentation in funding and contracting as a policy barrier to integration.
Access to data continued to be a major barrier to behavioral and physical health integration for 45% of participating health plans.
Over 70% of health plans cited limited capacity to integrate at the point of care as a barrier.
77% of participating health plans reported challenges accessing data from other network entities, including departments of health and substance use programs.
IMI notes that the findings highlight that successful integration of behavioral health requires technology enhancements, stronger data sharing practices, improved partnerships among organizations, and access to timely information across the continuum of care.
Most of the participating health plans reported experiencing multiple barriers when providing and managing behavioral health services for children and adolescents, including cultural and family stigma around mental illness (73%), and availability of in-person behavioral health providers (68%).
Health plans reported the following initiatives and efforts to address these and other barriers: 77% of participating health plans reported that they are educating members to help reduce stigma around mental illness.
64% are improving access to behavioral health services for children and adolescents by contracting with more virtual behavioral health providers.
55% administered behavioral health services in schools.
46% provided coaches and peer support to expand available resources.
