SF8

Senate Bill SF No 8, introduced by Senator Boldon, proposes to include coverage for a specific type of mental health care within Minnesota's medical assistance program. This health care model, known as the Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM), involves a teamwork approach where a primary care provider, a care manager, and a psychiatric consultant work together to address the patients’ mental health needs within a primary care setting. The bill aims to officially include this model in the state's medical assistance program, specifying that its costs can be billed using certain medical billing codes. This change would help ensure that more patients can access integrated behavioral health services directly through their primary care providers, potentially improving mental health outcomes in the community by using a structured, evidence-based process.