PA HB361

Department of Human Services shall provide grants to primary care physicians and practices to cover startup costs for integrating behavioral health services through the Collaborative Care Model or Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, with priority given to rural areas and counties with above-average suicide or overdose death rates

Grant funds may be used to hire staff, establish contracts with psychiatric consultants and behavioral health care managers, purchase software for patient registries, and implement measurement-based care systems

Pennsylvania shall be divided into six regions (Northeast, Southeast, North Central, South Central, Northwest, Southwest), with at least one collaborative care technical assistance center receiving grants in each region to support primary care providers

Technical assistance centers, which may include academic medical centers, shall help practices with financial modeling, staffing plans, electronic health record integration, staff training, workflow development, and insurance billing for integrated behavioral health services

If no qualified technical assistance center applicants exist in a region, the Department may award grants to applicants from outside that region who demonstrate ability to provide adequate support