A43F8FD6E6DE14668725898E008133DD Hearing Summary

Representative Michaelson
Jenet and Representative Gonzales-Gutierrez, co-prime bill sponsors, presented
House Bill 23-1269, concerning efforts to promote clinical stabilization
for youth involved in the behavioral health system.  The bill enacts
measures to better understand the behavioral health needs of children and
youth, including:




- requiring the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to analyze
the use of
directed payment
authority and fee schedules to ensure adequate services are available for
children and
youth with behavioral health needs, and to report findings by October 1,
2023;

- requiring the Department of Human Services (CDHS) to convene a working
group to develop an
incentive funding
pool pilot program to encourage residential providers to treat children
and youth
with behavioral health needs, and to report findings by October 1, 2023;


- requiring the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) to develop a framework
that measures the
effectiveness
of the behavioral health system for children and youth, using a third-party
facilitator
as necessary,
and to report findings by February 1, 2024;


- requiring hospitals and county departments to report certain de-identified
data on children and
youth quarterly
to the BHA beginning in September 1, 2023, including the number of children
and youth
who were boarding or had extended stays in the previous quarter.  The
BHA is to aggregate
and report
submitted data to advisory boards and councils until October 1, 2024; and


- requiring CDHS to develop a plan for when residential treatment facilities
for children and youth
close or change
their operations, and to report on the plan during their SMART Act hearing.
 



The bill sponsors answered questions from the committee.  Amendments
L.001 and L.002 were distributed to the committee members (Attachments
C and D).

Dr. Sandra Fritsch, representing Children's Hospital Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Evadine Codd, representing Children's Hospital Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Mary Varville-Rodriguez, representing Children's Hospital Colorado - Colorado Springs, testified in support of the bill.

Mollie Warren, representing Boulder County, testified in support of the bill.

The panelists responded to questions from the committee.

Mollie Bradlee, representing
the CDHS, testified to amend the bill.  



Christine Meyer,
representing the BHA, testified to amend the bill.  



Jamie Ulrich,
representing the Weld County Department of Human Services, testified in
support of the bill.  



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.

Jennifer Levin, representing
The Arc of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.



Gini Pingenout,
representing Colorado Counties Incorporated, testified on the bill and
discussed amendment L.001.  



The panelists
responded to questions from the committee.






Written testimony
was provided to the committee (Attachment E).

Representative Gonzales-Gutierrez and Representative Michaelson Jenet provided concluding remarks on the bill. Committee members commented on the bill.