Colorado established the Behavioral Health Administration in 2022 to develop a cohesive and more effective system of mental health services across the state.
Two years, some turmoil and two leaders later, its new Commissioner — Dannette Smith — said the Behavioral Health Administration is hitting its intended stride.
According to Smith, that should yield an innovative structure for behavioral health in the state to increase accessibility and quality.
“Things are going to change because they have to,” Smith said. “Coloradans are expecting it — it’s that simple to me.”
Some of the administration’s initiatives include establishing a database to track different behavioral health programs and their effectiveness, re-working the complaint and grievance process and creating a statewide safety net for the mental health of high-acuity youth.
One of the Behavioral Health Administration’s primary focuses is establishing Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations, which will fund and oversee mental health services at a regional level.
Behavioral Health Administration Deputy Commissioner Erin Wester said the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations will operate similarly to the state’s four Medicaid Regional Accountability Entities, which essentially manage Medicaid/Medicare services and reimbursements for a specific area on behalf of the state.
The Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations would dictate behavioral health services on behalf of the Behavioral Health Administration.
According to Wester, the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations would empower communities to identify and fill gaps in local behavioral health at a much more detailed level than an administrator from another part of the state could.
Wester said the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations will have the financial flexibility to establish or fund services that meet unique, local needs without having to justify their applicability statewide.
According to Smith, the approach should also lead to better connections between existing services and communities, as the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations will know what modes of outreach work best in their region, and they can work more intimately with local providers.
“When I think about core services and behavioral health, many of those services are already here in Colorado, but the general public doesn’t know where to access them and how to use them,” Smith said. “(The Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations are) going to be our north star and engine in terms of how we begin to look at delivering behavioral health services.”
Smith said the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations would coordinate those services and providers so Coloradans can access care across the continuum instead of just having whatever is readily available at the last moment.
“I want to have the hospital systems tied to the (Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations),” Smith said. “When somebody is escalating, I want them to be able to be in a hospital if that’s the mode of treatment, but I also want us — intentionally, through a treatment model — to be able to step that person down … and be able to support that person as they reintegrate back into the community.”
The Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization regions are identical to the Medicaid Regional Accountability Entities territories, which a Behavioral Health Administration press release said is intended to reduce administrative burdens for providers and confusion among residents seeking care.
Mesa County falls into Region One, which comprises all of the Western Slope and most of southern Colorado — extending as far east as Las Animas and Pueblo counties.
The tentative Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization operators were announced Oct 2, with Rocky Mountain Health Plans selected to manage Region One. Rocky Mountain Health Plans is also the region’s Medicaid accountability entity and a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare.
According to a press release from the Behavioral Health Administration, the announcement is a Notice of Intent to Award, so there is a two-week protest period — ending Oct 15 — that could change the awardees.
Rocky Mountain Health Plans officials declined to comment until the protest period has concluded and the decision is final.
Signal Behavioral Health Network was awarded Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization status for regions two, three and four. Signal is a nonprofit organization based in Englewood that began substance use management expansion more than 20 years ago.
“These two organizations demonstrated deep roots and strong relationships in the communities that they will be responsible for serving, and articulated thoughtful strategies for addressing the geographically unique challenges that the (Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization) networks will confront,” Smith said in a statement.
According to Wester, the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations will not be officially contracted until January, at which point the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations will have until the start of July to contract with local providers and begin their management efforts.