Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Albany County health committee approves three‑year psychiatric services contract with Psychiatric Group of Albany
Summary
The Albany County Legislature health committee voted unanimously to authorize a three‑year contract with the Psychiatric Group of Albany to provide outpatient and community psychiatric services; the contract covers multiple providers and is largely reimbursable through third‑party payers, county officials said.
Albany County’s Health Committee approved a three‑year agreement with the Psychiatric Group of Albany to provide psychiatric services to the county’s mental‑health clinics and community programs. Committee members voted to move the contract forward by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
County mental‑health officials told the committee the Psychiatric Group of Albany has been the county’s medical provider for roughly 20 years and that the new contract totals $1,988,439 for the term described in the meeting materials. Department staff said the group consists of seven medical providers (four psychiatrists and three nurse practitioners) who serve the county clinic and community teams.
Officials told committee members the providers serve a clinic population of roughly 600–700 patients and that clinic coverage accounts for about 150 hours per week; staff also described additional weekly coverage for community treatment teams and the county’s assisted outpatient‑treatment (AOT) program, which the department said currently has about 90 active cases. Department staff said most billable services provided under the contract are reimbursable through Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance; individual clinicians at times recouped 80–90% of costs, while the department estimated an overall reimbursement rate averaging about 65–70% in a strong year.
Committee members asked about the contract language that appeared to show a first‑year limit. Department staff said the figure in the request‑for‑legislative‑action form reflects the first‑year spending cap and is not an open‑ended authorization; they also described a 0% increase in year two and a 3% increase in year three under the proposed term. Staff indicated the contract amount is included in the county’s adopted budget.
The contract authorizes the Psychiatric Group of Albany to provide direct clinical services, support the community treatment team and assist with the county’s AOT caseload. Department leaders said they track return on investment by provider and by service line, and that reimbursement rates and a high no‑show rate among the clinic population affect net program costs.
The committee approved the motion to authorize the agreement by voice vote; no committee member recorded opposition. The county said staff will continue to monitor reimbursement and program performance under the contract and report back as required by the county’s contracting and budget processes.
