Oregon’s Integrated Services and Supports Rule (ISSR) sets the minimum standards for providers of addiction and mental health care. Some of these providers found the previous rule was difficult to understand and expensive to meet, and that it contradicted Oregon’s drive to integrate physical and mental health care. Some mental health and addiction service providers interpreted the rules in ways that meant lengthy delays – for the providers and the people who needed those services – due to paperwork and other issues.
Bruce Goldberg, M.D., Director of OHA, addressed this in a special message about the workgroup Nov. 26, 2012.
Dr. Goldberg and Linda Hammond, interim director of OHA Addictions and Mental Health, formed the ISSR 2012 Revision Workgroup to quickly address these issues. It included representatives of providers, coordinated care organizations (CCOs), community mental health programs (CMHPs) and the Oregon Health Authority. Its two-fold mission: identify immediate changes to ISSR that would reduce the administrative burden on providers, CCOs and CMHPs; and recommend a future direction for the rules.
Phase 1
The workgroup rapidly completed the first phase of its task, submitting its report on January 16, 2013. The committee reached consensus on 20 of 23 suggested changes. The panel’s agreements:
- Reduced by up to 90 percent the paperwork that providers must do to admit a person for treatment – this allows providers to still follow federal guidelines while integrating physical and mental health services;
- Reduced by 80 percent the screenings and paperwork a person seeking mental health services has to go through before they can be treated;
- Increased providers’ certification period from three to five years, meaning they have to prepare for review by the state less frequently;
- Reduced the number of documents a licensed medical professional must sign in the case of each person receiving services; and
- Gives more time for a licensed mental health practitioner (10 days instead of five days) has to approve an individual’s treatment plan, which means clients can receive treatment sooner and in a wider variety of settings.
Temporary rules to put these changes into effect were filed Feb. 11, 2013. See below for information about ISSR webinars which will help providers and other interested parties better understand the rule’s technical details and how it applies to specific provider types.
Phase 2
The ISSR workgroup has been expanded for 2013. Its roster now includes more CCO and provider representatives to strengthen its focus on better client outcomes.
The goals of Phase 2 include:
- Explore a potential redesign of the way non-licensed providers are certified;
- Develop a system for evaluating providers based on client outcomes; and
- Address other issues raised during Phase I.
ISSR webinars
2012 ISSR Revisions webinar - March 7, 2012
Questions and answers – ISSR webinar follow-up
Questions and answers from the March 7 ISSR revisions webinar. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, contact Jay Yedziniak at joseph.a.yedziniak@state.or.us.
More information
For more information contact Jay Yedziniak, interim Mental Health and Addictions Medicaid manager, at 503-945-6231 or joseph.a.yedzinia@state.or.us; Justin Hopkins, quality improvement and certification manager, at 503-945-7818 or justin.hopkins@state.or.us.