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
How to Ensure Your Practice is Paid for Medicaid Services
Please see below from DC Medicaid
As you are aware, DHCF is transitioning to a new fiscal agent / claims payment vendor – Gainwell - on March 2, 2026. Beginning March 2nd, Gainwell will be responsible for:
- Adjudication and payment of valid health care claims;
- Operating the call centers for provider inquiry and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technical support; and
- Provider, beneficiary, and other provider inquiry web portal functions.
Provider training sessions kicked off on January 6, 2026, and will continue through the transition period. To register for training, providers must access the MMIS Learning Center at https://mmislearningcenter.myabsorb.com as referenced in the introductory training email providers received from Gainwell.
Last week, Gainwell sent a letter to providers with an overview of what to expect with the transition and the steps providers need to take starting February 2, 2026, to register with the new system. It is imperative that providers register prior to March 2nd – if providers fail to register with the new system, they will not be able to submit claims and receive payment. A sample of the letter is attached for your awareness, and I ask that you amplify the letter and its messaging with your members. Your support will help ensure a seamless transition.
I also want to call to your attention to the impact on the payment cycle once the new system goes live. There will be a one-week delay in payment when the new system goes live. Specifically, there will be no payments made on Friday, March 6, 2026. The first payments from the new Gainwell system will occur on Friday, March 13, 2026. Providers should plan accordingly if they are accustomed to weekly payments.
As of Tuesday, the new Gainwell portal is live and can be accessed at https://medicaid.dc.gov. If you look under the Provider tab, you will find the links to provider training and more information. Below recaps the key dates starting this month going forward.
January 6th: Provider training sessions kicked-off
January 20th: Portal go-live (https://medicaid.dc.gov)
February 2nd: Provider registration opens
March 2nd: System go-live
March 13th: First payment from the Gainwell system
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.
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