Behavioral Health

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Behavioral health is a major public health issue in the District of Columbia. Sadly, many of the legislative and regulatory initiatives around behavioral health are tied to other public health concerns, such as opioid addiction, maternal mortality, and health equity.

In partnership with the Washington Psychiatric Society, AMA, and American Psychiatric Association (APA), MSDC works to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for behavioral health issues, that the practice of psychiatry is supported in the District, and that psychiatrists are available to patients in the District.

MSDC was a proud supporter of the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which enshrined into law that all health plans offered by an insurance carrier meet federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

MSDC Statements and Testimony of Behavioral Health Issues

25th Council period information coming soon

Over 120 Physicians Sign Letter Asking for Prior Auth Hearing

Jun 15, 2022, 09:15 AM by MSDC Staff

The letter asks the Chair to add the prior auth reform bill to the June 27 hearing agenda.

MSDC sent a letter to Committee on Health Chair Vincent Gray on June 14 asking for a hearing on B24-655 before the summer recess. Signing the letter were over 120 DC physicians and healthcare providers representing 21 different zip codes.

The letter was sent because the committee announced a hearing on June 27 to consider four different bills. One of them is MSDC-endorsed B24-557, the Copay Accumulator Amendment Act, on which MSDC and a number of other organizations will be testifying for. As of now, the prior authorization bill is not on the agenda, despite an overwhelming desire from the community for a hearing on this important issue.

B24-655 would enact a number of commonsense reforms adopted by numerous other states when it comes to prior auths. The bill would require a medical reason for the prior auth, ensuring appropriate medical professionals are doing the utilization reviews, set a standard time for insurers to honor the issued prior auths, and more. The bill is modeled after American Medical Association (AMA) model language and has been reviewed by MSDC and numerous other medical associations. The legislation would be the most positively impactful bill for medicine in years.

Physicians, healthcare providers, and patients interested in getting involved can visit msdc.org/priorauth to learn more. MSDC encourages everyone interested to testify on behalf of B24-557 on June 27 and, if it is added, B24-655.

The text of the letter is below:

June 14, 2022

The Honorable Vincent Gray

Chair, Committee on Health

Council of the District of Columbia

1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington DC 20004

Dear Chair Gray,

We, the undersigned physicians and healthcare professionals, urge you to hold a hearing before the Council summer recess on B24-655, the Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act.

The Prior Authorization Reform Amendment Act aligns DC with other states in regulating a practice that severely harms our ability to treat our patients.

The recent American Medical Association (AMA) physician survey on prior auth showed that 93% of physicians report care delays because of prior authorization. The same survey showed that physician offices spend 13 hours each week (almost two business days) dedicated to prior auth paperwork.

These delays impact our residents and patients daily, leading many to wait unnecessarily for their treatments or choose to abandon them altogether.

We ask you to hold a hearing on this bill because you and your colleagues need to hear our stories about how prior authorizations negatively impact physicians across the District. We look forward to continuing to share our stories and working with your office to pass this legislation in 2022.

Sincerely

Alan W Stone

Alicia R. G. Khan

Allison Jackson

Aminah Jones, MD MPH, FAAFP

Amir Meiri, MD MPH

Andrea Hulse-Johnson, DO

Andres Barkil

Anirban Ganguli

Anjali Malik, MD

Ann Medinger MD, FACP

Anna BuAbbud

Anne Siegel

Anthony Scialli, M.D.

Ashesh D. Patel, MD FACP

Barry Fisher, MD

Barry J Landau. M. D.

Bhumika Gandhi MD

Brian Epling

Caren Palese, MD

Caroline Wing Wohlgemuth MD

Carolyn Wakeman, MD

Catherine Chow

Catherine S May, MD

Celina Brunson

Chan Dang-Vu, MD

Cheryl Iglesia MD

Christian Moser, MD

Colin Stewart, MD

Constance E. Dunlap MD

Dale Isaacson MD

Dana Mueller

Daniel W. Hicks

DeAndra Jamerson

Deborah Abramsky, CNM, MPH

Dianne Reynolds, M.D.

Dr J Kupersmith

Dr Poonam Maru

Dr. Adam Miramon

Earl H. Harley, M.D.

Ebony Hoskins

Eduardo Fox, MD

Elizabeth Hoge

Evelyn M Karson PhDMD

Fatemeh Milani, MD

Feseha Woldu

Francis Chucker MD

Frederick Jacobsen, MD

Gelane Workneh MD

H Jeffry Kim

Harshkumar Patel

Helain J. Landy, MD

Hojin Lee

Insiya Nasrulla

J Desiree Pineda MD

James A. Simon, MD

James Cobey, MD

James F. Loomis, MD

Jason Wexler

Jaya Kasaraneni

Jeff Bostic

Jessica Schroeder MD, MPH

Jillian G. Evans

John M Stewart

Joseph M Houston, M.D.

JULIAN CRAIG

Justen Ahmad, MD

Karen Anderson

KAREN B MAZIE

Karen R Myers MD FACP

Kenneth C. Ullman, MD.,D.L.F.A.P.A.,P.C.

Kirstiaan Nevin

Kristina Andersson

Leslie Goransson, MD

Luis Dominguez

Madhumathi Rao

Mani Yavi, M.D.

Mansi Kotwal

Mark J. Smith M.D.

Mark M Sklar

Matthew Lecuyer

Mayada Akil MD

Megan M. Lockwood, MD

Meghan Schott

Melissa Loughney, M.D.

Melvin W Williams MD

Michael Goldstein

Michael Morse MD

Michael Nidel

MOHAMMED Kabir Abubakar

Ndidi Obichere

Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC

Nehal S Naik, MD

Nicholas Hazen

Nicole Chappell

Nora Galil MD

Paul Doherty, MD

Pauline Tsai, MD

Punam Thakkar

Raihanahmed Chowdhury

Randi Rubovits-Seitz

Richard A Ratner, MD

Richard A. Chefetz, M.D.

Richard D. Zorowitz, M.D.

Ritika Gadodia

robert keisling M.D.

Ronald M. Costell, M.D.

Sara L Imershein MD MPH

Sean Kenmore, MD, MS

Sean Pustilnik, M.D.

Seiji Hayashi, MD, MPH

Shaitalya Vellanki, MD

Shalini Sitzmann DO

Siva Subramanian

Sonia D. Silinsky Krupnikova

Stephanie Kubala

STEPHANY A MCGANN

Stephen M Weissman

Susan D Stein, MD

Susanne Bathgate MD

Sylvia R. Medley, MD, MPH

Tara Palmore, M.D.

Tiffany Wilson

Walter P. Bland, M.D., LFAPA

William Cohen, M.D.

William Smith

Xiaoxi Ouyang

Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health

(see the whole list of bills here)

Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2019 (B23-543)

What does it do? The bill requires licensed health providers to complete 2 hours of CME on suicide prevention, assessment, and screening.

MSDC position: MSDC opposes the bill as written as the language does not encourage physician wellbeing or sufficient awareness of suicide prevention.

Current status: The bill had a hearing with the Committee on Health on June 10.