Policy Resource
Arkansas Amends Medicaid Rules to Strengthen Infant Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment
The Arkansas legislature recently approved a Behavioral Health Transformation package that includes changes to Medicaid aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of very young children with mental health disorders.
The Behavioral Health Transformation package calls on providers to use the DC:0-3R Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (recently revised to DC:0-5TM) to diagnose children aged 0-4. Use of this age-appropriate classification system increases the chances that a child will be appropriately diagnosed and referred to evidence-based treatment. Providers are advised to crosswalk the DC:0-3R to a Division of Medical Services diagnosis for Medicaid reimbursement. The rule changes also change policy so that for the first time, Arkansas Medicaid will reimburse providers for dyadic therapies, which treat infants and their caregivers in the context of their relationship. Approval of this package was the result of years of work on the part of the Department of Human Services, mental health and substance abuse treatment clinicians, and families who advocated for change. It will be effective July 1, 2017.
Read more about:
Explore more from Financing
-
Tool
Inspiring Innovation: Creative State Financing Structures for Infants and Toddlers
States can and should be investing in infants and toddlers as they work to build their birth-to-five systems. The four states highlighted in this policy brief exemplify such models of state investmen…
-
Article
Ohio and Colorado Increase Investment in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
In an effort to promote healthy social and emotional development and school readiness among young children, Ohio and Colorado recently increased funding for early childhood mental health consultation…
-
Article
Sixpence: Nebraska Early Childhood Endowment Fund
In 2006, the Nebraska Legislature stepped up to the challenge of ensuring that more of Nebraskas youngest, most vulnerable children would arrive at school ready to learn by establishing the Nebrask…
Explore More Arkansas Focused Resources & Initiatives
-
Article
Arkansas ECMH Consultation Project
Arkansas’ Project PLAY (Positive Learning for Arkansas’ Youngest) consultants work out of community health centers in nine regions of the state to provide early childhood mental health consultation t…
-
Article
Arkansas Home Visiting Centralized Intake Pilot
Since 2012, the Arkansas Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) team has been piloting centralized intake in the Central Little Rock Promise Neighborhood (CLRPN).
-
Article
Arkansas' Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
In July 2010, Arkansas initiated a new quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) to give child care providers a clear path to improve their programs and provide parents with the knowledge and tool…
-
Article
Arkansas Promotes Stability for Very Young Children in the Child Welfare System
In Arkansas, state and community leaders recognize that stability for infants and toddlers in the child welfare system can be dramatically improved when stakeholders across service sectors work toget…
-
Article