Ottawa County CMH CEO raises alarm over MDHHS procurement, board readies legal, millage planning

Michael, chief executive officer of Ottawa County Community Mental Health, told the board on Friday, Aug. 22, that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is moving forward with a procurement to restructure Medicaid managed-care functions and that the change could reduce local CMH input into regional management.

The issue matters, he said, because the stateis preparing to name contract managers for Medicaid benefits and a new model could leave local CMHs "providing Medicaid services and not co-managing at all." He said one concrete near-term change is that certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) supplemental payments will begin coming directly from the state to CMHs starting in October rather than routing through a PHP or regional entity.

Why it matters: the procurement could change which organizations administer Medicaid-managed behavioral health in the region, alter cash flow and reduce the decision-making role that local CMHs and their regional entity presently…