Behavioral Health
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
Join the MSDC Prior Auth Sign-On Letter
MSDC wants to make it clear - a hearing on prior authorization is excellent, but it is not the end. The hearing must lead to meaningful reform via legislation being marked up and sent to the Council.
That's why MSDC is asking physicians, practices, and organizations to join our letter. The letter does two things - it thanks the committee for holding the hearing and urges a quick mark-up of the bill. The sooner the bill works its way through DC's long legislative process, the quicker reform can be enacted.
The text of the letter is below and on the sign-up form.
The deadline to sign the letter is May 19 by 5 PM ET. That will allow us to deliver the letter to the committee before the hearing.
Physicians and supporters are encouraged to testify at the hearing for B25-124 on May 24. Those interested in learning more or seeking assistance from MSDC can contact hay@msdc.org or call 202-466-1800.
Sign on to letter
May 23, 2023
The Honorable Christina Henderson
Chair, Committee on Health
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
Dear Chair Henderson,
We, the undersigned
physicians and healthcare professionals, thank you for holding a hearing on B25-124, the Prior Authorization Reform Act. At the hearing, you will hear numerous stories of how prior authorization is harming patient care, driving up health care costs,
and burning out physicians and providers. For these reasons, we urge your committee to mark up this legislation as soon as possible and send it to the full Council.
A recent American Medical Association (AMA) physician survey on prior auth
showed that:
• 93% of physicians report care delays because of prior authorization.
• 80% of physicians report that prior authorizations can at least sometimes lead to treatment abandonment.
• 1/3rd of surveyed physicians
report a prior authorization led to a serious adverse event for a patient
• Physicians and staff spend almost 2 business days (14 hours) each week completing prior authorizations.
We thank you for holding a hearing on this bill
because you and your colleagues need to hear our stories about how prior authorizations negatively impact physicians and medical practices across the District. After the hearing, we ask you to work as quickly as possible to markup the bill so DC can
join 40 other states in reforming the prior authorization process.
Sincerely,
Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health
(see the whole list of bills here)
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.