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Spokane BHASO told it will take on crisis stabilization under HB 1813 as data show fewer ITA investigations
Summary
Ashley McGee briefed the board that HB 1813 expands BHASO delegation to include crisis stabilization services July 1, 2026; Katie's dashboard showed steady service volume, fewer high utilizers, a 20% drop in ITA investigations, and local provider reports that fentanyl availability is declining while methamphetamine use rises.
Ashley McGee, behavioral health manager for the Spokane Regional BHASO, told the board that House Bill 1813 expanded the BHASO's delegated responsibilities from managed care organizations to include crisis stabilization services and that BHASO is conducting pre-delegation reviews and contracting work so the delegation can go live July 1, 2026.
"That will be expanded come July 1st to include crisis stabilization services," Ashley said. "We're working with the managed care organizations on pre-delegation activities and contracting processes with the goal of going live with this on July 1st, 2026."
Katie presented Q4 2025 crisis data and the BHASO's 2025 annual crisis dashboard. She said core contractual metrics—abandoned calls and average answer times—are being met, high-utilizer counts fell by about 30% quarter-over-quarter, mobile crisis responses increased, and involuntary treatment investigations (ITA) decreased roughly 20% compared with 2024.
"We've also gotten reports that people are posting on things such as Reddit like 'I usually use fentanyl. I can't find it. I'm looking for it,'" Katie said, summarizing anecdotal provider reports and regional intelligence. "It appears that fentanyl is harder to find...more folks seem to be using methamphetamine." The presenters said the reduction in ITA investigations is preliminary but encouraging.
Ashley described operational implications: BHASO will incorporate stabilization services into daily crisis logs and develop electronic care-coordination with MCOs, and the Stevens County Alliance stabilization unit and the PATH center will be incorporated when they open. Board members asked about timing of 23-hour, 59-minute observation/stabilization codes and whether longer-stay stabilization services will come online before physical expansions; staff clarified phased code and service rollouts through April and July 2027.
Why it matters: Delegation transfers operational responsibility for stabilization authorization and utilization management to the BHASO and will change how crisis stabilization sites are authorized and integrated with managed care coordination. The dashboard's preliminary drops in ITA investigations and shifts in drug supply could affect local crisis response planning and provider workloads.
No formal board vote occurred on HB 1813 at this meeting; staff said more implementation details will be available at the next meeting.
