KDADS worked in cooperation with the Mental Health Task Force, the Governor’s Behavioral Health Planning Council, Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) and other stakeholders to develop a plan to lift the moratorium on voluntary admissions. The plan has two primary goals. The first is to ensure there are high-quality, therapeutic spaces to provide treatment to individuals with serious mental illness in an inpatient setting. The second is to use existing resources and facilities as effectively as possible to meet the therapeutic needs while incorporating appropriate community-based services and private facilities.
The plan to lift the moratorium included a mix of bed capacity at Osawatomie State Hospital (OSH) and increasing community- based capacity for inpatient treatment. The approved FY 2021 Budget for KDADS includes funds to expand the number of regional psychiatric hospital beds to serve individuals with mental illness meeting the criteria for state hospital admission.
KDADS contracts with providers to provide hospital bed space for adults and children. These “regional” beds would be financed using a combination of state dollars, Medicaid or other private insurance when patients have insurance coverage available. During 2020, KDADS worked with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on a new provider classification, called State Institutional Alternative (SIA). These are private psychiatric hospitals or community hospitals that agree to accept patients with mental illness who have been screened for admission to a state hospital. These SIA hospitals are paid a per diem rate for each patient day instead of the regular Medicaid rate. SIAs submit an application to the state to be able to enroll in Medicaid and be reimbursed on a per diem rate for any patients successfully screened for State Mental Health Hospital (SMHH) admission and receive state funds for the care of the uninsured.
- SIAs will provide regional hospital alternatives to Larned State Hospital (LSH) and OSH, allowing for care closer to home for patients and reducing demand on SMHHs, as well as reducing wait times for admissions.
- SIA is the only program that serves youth population approved for the state hospital level of care
- When Kansans in crisis are triaged and recommended for the state hospital admission, SIA hospitals will be the first option for new patient admissions.
- SIAs define patient population they are able to serve
- The program is designed around the daily capacity and capably of each of the SIAs on a daily basis.
KDADS implemented the SIA Medicaid policy and State Plan Amendment in 2020 and has worked with existing hospitals that accepted diversion placements from the state hospitals to enroll as SIA providers. SIA hospitals will replace the existing diversion beds that currently supplement the OSH capacity to meet immediate needs with the same focus on short in-patient stays, initiating treatment and smoothly transitioning patients into community-based treatment.
The HealthSource Integrated Solutions bed dashboard can be used to check availability of beds at SIAs and state hospitals. Type "SIA" or the hospital name in the search field to see most current information*:
http://bedcount.healthsrc.org/
SIAs and state hospitals update bed availability information at least two times a day.
KDADS is looking forward to other Private Psychiatric Hospitals regularly sharing data on bed availability across the state.
*Bed availability can change minute by minute. Please call the facility to confirm bed availability and appropriateness of admission