In a recent development, AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) has submitted comments for improving patient mental health support.
The comments were made on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule for the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System (OPPS).
AHIP’s comments emphasize the importance of improving access to mental health support and substance use disorder care while setting high-quality standards for measurable results.
Establishment Of Guidelines For Enhanced Patient Mental Health Support
AHIP recognizes the fundamental principle that everyone deserves access to effective, affordable, and equitable mental health support and counseling.
Achieving this goal requires collaborative efforts from health insurance providers, care professionals, and government agencies.
Together, they must establish guidelines and standards that ensure patients can access the care they need with confidence in its quality.
The organization’s commitment extends to enhancing access to mental health and substance use disorder care for every patient who requires it. While acknowledging the positive step of introducing a new benefit, AHIP believes that further measures are necessary to support patients dealing with acute mental illness or substance use.
To this end, AHIP encourages CMS to integrate behavioral health care into the Innovation Center’s alternative payment model (APM) demonstrations.
This integration would incentivize coordinated care and help address barriers, including social challenges and stigma.
AHIP expressed gratitude for CMS’s ongoing partnership and dedication to the Core Quality Measure Collaborative, particularly its efforts to advance digital measurement.
The organization also supports CMS’s commitment to using measurement as a tool to enhance the quality, access, and equity of healthcare.
Health information technology and digital quality measurement offer innovative means to evaluate new concepts, drive positive change, and reduce burdens on all stakeholders involved in the healthcare system.
In summary, AHIP’s comments underscore its commitment to improving access to mental health support within the Medicare framework.
The organization recognizes the importance of collaborative efforts, setting quality standards, and promoting measurable results to ensure that patients receive the care they need and deserve.
As discussions surrounding mental health support and substance use disorder care continue to evolve, AHIP’s advocacy serves as a vital contribution to enhancing the healthcare landscape and ensuring that every patient can access the services they require to lead healthier and happier lives.