County health officials report declining adult case counts, rising revenue in mental-health case management

Morrison County Health & Human Services presented an update on adult mental-health case management services following the board’s mental-health proclamation.

Nathan Bertram, HHS director, and Jeff Bowman, adult-services supervisor, said adult targeted case management (TCM) remains a voluntary service for people with serious and persistent mental illness and described how the county coordinates with children’s services, disability-waiver case management and regional partners.

"Adult mental health case management is a voluntary service that is offered to anybody who qualifies through their diagnostic assessment that has a serious and persistent mental illness," Jeff Bowman said, describing the program’s aims to support employment, housing and treatment access.

Staff noted counts have declined over recent years—from roughly 125 to about 84—and attributed the change in part to implementing a wait list for new applicants and to improved recordkeeping and billing practices. At the same time, revenue reported from TCM billing has increased; staff explained the state’s reimbursement formula and periodic rate updates can produce year-to-year changes in per-client revenue.

Bertram highlighted new partnerships that have helped coordination: an embedded social worker with law enforcement, a hospital-based social worker, a jail social worker, and collaboration with regional AMHI partners and crisis services. He said the embedded staff have improved crisis response and hospital transitions and that case-management staff continue to serve both TCM-eligible and waiver-eligible individuals.

No formal board action was required; commissioners thanked staff and asked for continued monitoring of caseloads and revenue trends.