Health plans that collaborate with Mobile Crisis Assessment Teams (MCAT) can play a pivotal role in assessing emergency department (ED) patients.

This session explores the collaborative efforts between health plans and MCAT providers to enhance behavioral health care delivery and achieve compliance with essential HEDIS measures. Participants will learn how this collaboration focuses on improving mental health care and ensuring compliance with key HEDIS measures through the following strategies:

• Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization Assessment:
  The MCAT provider evaluates whether a patient meets criteria for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. If criteria are met, the provider arranges admission and ensures follow-up care, supporting the Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Illness (FUH) HEDIS measure. If the patient does not meet inpatient criteria, they are diverted to outpatient services and receive appropriate follow-up care, including crisis stabilization housing.
• Timely Mental Health Assessment:
  On the same day of the ED visit or within 7 days, the MCAT provider completes a mental health assessment, addressing the Follow-Up After Emergency Department Visit for Mental Illness (FUM) HEDIS measure.
• Integrated Housing and Health Services:
  Both MCAT providers offer direct housing that is seamlessly integrated with their behavioral health and primary care services. Individuals experiencing homelessness are placed in short-term housing, which stabilizes their behavioral health and social determinants of health (SDOH) needs. This approach is critical to closing several HEDIS measures, including FUM, FUH, and Adults’ Access to Preventive/Ambulatory Health Services (AAP) following an ED visit or hospitalization.

Learn How To:
    •    Assess and determine the appropriate level of psychiatric care for ED patients.
    •    Implement timely mental health assessments to meet HEDIS requirements.
    •    Integrate housing solutions with behavioral health and primary care services.
    •    Address the social determinants of health to improve care quality and measure compliance.