Committee hears testimony on bill to streamline residential behavioral health licensing and payments

The Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health opened a public hearing March 25 on Senate Bill 1195, which would direct the Oregon Health Authority to study and propose reforms to residential behavioral health services, including alternatives to current nurse-staffing requirements, new reimbursement methodologies and separate licensing for transition-age youth. The bill includes a sunset of Jan. 2, 2027, and declares an emergency effective on passage.

The measure, as described to the committee by Katie Hart, legislative policy research officer, would also require OHA to evaluate options such as conditional referrals before licensure, support early transition plans, and examine alternative administrative models for residential services. Hart told the committee a dash-1 amendment was pending that ‘‘would remove the provision to allow facilities to accept conditional referrals before they are licensed and add a directive to OHA to fill the capacity of newly licensed facilities.’’

Advocates and providers testified that regulatory…