Not all mental health services are affected by the OHCA provider rate cut that began on January 1, 2016.
During the last Behavioral Health Council Meeting at the Oklahoma Capital, many providers became discouraged by the upcoming budget cuts for mental health services. Nico Gomez, the CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, advised members of the board a reduction would be needed in order to submit a balanced budget for state fiscal year 2017.
“Though I wish provider rate reductions weren’t necessary, we believe that the responsible action to take is to spread the impact over a 17-18 month period, as opposed to requiring a deeper cut over a 12-month fiscal year,” said Gomez. “By taking action now, we hope to lessen the impact.”
The State Plan Amendment Rate Committee (SPARC) clarified what services would be excluded from the 3% cut. Services that are financed through appropriations to other state agencies or services provided under a waiver are excluded. Complex Rehabilitation Technology Services and Long Term Care Facilities fall under this exclusion as well.
With and attempt to minimize the impact to our providers, OrionNet Systems has been in contact with their clients and the OHCA representative, the latest News Release has confirmed that Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) services will NOT get a 3% rate cut as they were excluded from the state budget cut.
“This is great news for our clients who provide TFC services.” said Clyde Wafford, president of OrionNet Systems.
About OrionNet Systems
OrionNet is an Oklahoma small business founded in 2001. OrionNet has designed, developed and supported applications created both for the client-server and web environments, as well as developing, marketing and supporting a commercial application for the counseling centers industry.
Visit the OrionNet Systems’ website, www.iorion.com, or their social media pages, https://twitter.com/ThinkHealth & https://www.facebook.com/pages/OrionNet-Systems/139352156150090 for more information.
About the Oklahoma Health Care Authority
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority is the primary entity in the state of Oklahoma charged with controlling costs of state-purchased health care. https://www.okhca.org/providers.aspx?id=16525