Behavioral Health Information Technology Grant (BHIT)Program for HCBS Providers

What is the BHIT Program?

As part of the transition to Medicaid Managed Care, DOH, OMH, and OASAS want to ensure that all HCBS providers are ready to bill for Medicaid Managed Care as well as input data, access data, and share data across an electronic health record (EHR). However, as part of a provider scoping project underway they have determined that numerous providers will not be ready.

The BHIT program is a contract between the State and NYC DOHMH/FPHNY with a total funding of $10 million for New York City. Approximately $7.5 million will be available to assist providers considered “high need” with obtaining licenses (for up to two years) for electronic health records. This is not funding being awarded to providers but instead assistance from the state in paying for licenses from vendors.

The budgeted funding for the remainder of the state has not yet been finalized but it is anticipated to be similar to the funding available for New York City.

Contractor (NYC DOHMH/FPHNY) duties will include:

•Determine system capabilities for qualified Behavioral Health EHR and Electronic Billing System (EBS) vendors

•Acquire necessary initial or upgraded licenses

•Provide technical assistance to 100-200 eligible HCBS BH agencies serving adults in New York City and potentially other BH providers in New York City (Minimum: 2,000 individual providers)

•Provide education, outreach, and technical assistance in adoption of Behavioral Health EHR Software (BHS) and EBS technologies

Who is the BHIT Program intended for?

This program is targeted at HSBC providers who serve adults with:

•Little or no experience billing Medicaid

•Provider has no EHR to document these new services

•Provider has an EHR that does not suffice in documenting these new services

Meeting these qualifications will constitute a provider as a “high need” provider to be first on the list to obtain state assistance.

If we don’t qualify for this program, are there other managed care readiness opportunities?

Yes, attached is a Summary of NYS Managed Care Start-up Assistance Funding that describes some additional opportunities that are available across the state. As we learn more details about each of them we will keep you informed.

What is the status of the BHIT Program?

The State has established a BHIT Steering Committee made up of representatives from the agencies as well as provider associations, including the NYS Council. Two meetings have been held of the Steering Committee. Below are notes from the latest meeting of the BHIT Steering Committee on July 31.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the selection and contracting processes of the EHR software to be used as part of the Behavioral Health Information Technology Grant (BHIT) for HCBS Providers. The meeting looked at the RFP process and timeline and issues to consider with regard to the development of the RFP specifications and selection criteria.

When the group met in June they discussed the HIT Steering Committee proposed structure. The areas the group will focus on, and develop subcommittees for, are:

•Provider selection: Establishing selection criteria and selecting qualified providers for the BHIT project.

•Group may consist of organizations that represent BH providers, consumers, and government agencies

•Use of objective criteria/methodology for start-up grants

•Vendor selection and Upgrades: Clinical and Consumer Access:

•Developing specifications/criteria for RFP

•Clinical documentation criteria

•Selecting IT system vendors

•Consumer Portal

•Practice management and workflow assessments for specifications:

•Human Factors current experience

•EHR/EBS configuration

•documentation requirements

•Revenue Cycle Management (RCM)

•DSRIP, HH, RHIO membership and interfaces with HH care management:

•For MMC payer models under HH/DSRIP success - interoperability with care planning and access to RHIO/SHIN-NY dial tone services.

•Critical for:

•Patient Record Lookup

•Subscribe and Notify

•Direct Messaging

•Privacy and Security:

•HIT/HIE overall model and program implementation

•Protection of PHI

•Review of HITECH/HIPAA implementation guidelines

•Quality and Compliance

•Children’s Issues

The model grant contract is in its final phases of completion. They are getting ready for NYC and then will move to the rest of the state.

Selection process of EHR to be used for those agencies that:

  • Do not have any software
  • Do have a software but it does not comply with the technical specifications of the BHIT
  • Grant and/or expectations for HCBS Services

RFP - starting with premises and definitions, this will be a long-term process with a vendor

  • the state will be looking for input from associations and providers
  • will create multiple drafts and have approval from this steering committee

Selection Process:

  • will develop selection criteria
  • develop demo scripts to vendors
  • create a selection team
  • coordinate resources
  • train on selection

Vendor Selection:

  • Q&A session
  • pre-selection of vendors
  • demo presentation
  • analysis and conclusions
  • select vendors
  • contract with vendors

Expect to invite 67 different software companies. 25 responded the first time around when they tested. Of the 25 that first responded, 18 met the requirements. The State anticipates 2-4 being selected in the end.

Timeline to issue the RFP is 3-4 months. They anticipate they will be ready for contracting by the end of January/beginning of February 2016.

They are working now on readiness reviews across the state.

Requirements for the vendors:

  • long-term associate
  • must have demonstrated experience working with public health
  • demonstrated RHIO experience
  • commitment to train and team

Categories and function of EHR:

  • practice management
  • behavioral documentation
  • care coordination
  • clinical care
  • HIT and interoperability

DOH/OMH/OASAS will be hiring an implementation specialist and billing specialist to help with the project.

On Friday, Aug 7, an all-day billing program in NYC with providers and plans.

Next steps will be to create subcommittees and convene the groups once they have participants.