Pharmacists Added as Medicaid Providers & Additional Medicaid OAC Clarifications

Note: The following information was shared today via MITS BITS and is being amplified in NewsNow.

Effective Jan. 17, Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) rule changes will allow pharmacists to serve as rendering practitioners for certain Ohio Medicaid services. When rendering services as an employee of community behavioral health agencies (Medicaid provider types 84 and 95), pharmacists are able to render the following activities:

• Managing medication therapy under a consulting agreement with a prescribing practitioner
• Administering immunizations
• Administering medications

In order to bill Ohio Medicaid for pharmacists managing medication therapy, the following Evaluation and Management CPT codes may be used as indicated in the Jan. 15, 2021, revision of the Medicaid Behavioral Health Provider Manual.

• 99202, 99203 – Evaluation and management, new patients
• 99211, 99212, 99213 – Evaluation and management, existing patients

In addition, the following CPT codes may be billed for vaccine administration:

• 90640, 90471, 90472, 90473, 90474, 96372

Pharmacists have been added as rendering practitioners for medications administered by medical personnel listed in the Medicaid Behavioral Health Provider Manual. For medications not listed in the Medicaid Behavioral Health Provider manual, please see the policy, coverage and fee schedule in Ohio Administrative Code in rule 5160-4-12. The fee schedule may be found here: https://www.medicaid.ohio.gov/Provider/FeeScheduleandRates/SchedulesandRates#1682583-provider-administered-pharmaceuticals.

Additional OAC Rule Clarification
In addition to changes adding pharmacists as eligible providers, amendments have been made to Ohio Administrative Code Rule Chapter 5160-27 (effective Jan. 15) as follows:

• 5160-27-01: Clarifies the list of provider types unlicensed practitioners may operate under with general supervision. Licensed providers continue to be subject to requirements in paragraph (A).
• 5160-27-02: Clarifies coverage of peer recovery services and updates references related to telehealth.
• 5160-27-03: Adds new billing code for prolonged services in Appendix A.

RFA: Youth and Young Adult Early Intervention Initiative

Ohio institutions of higher education (IHE) with expertise in behavioral health prevention and early intervention, Institute of Medicine’s categories for prevention, SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Strategies and The National Academies Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Development among Children and Youth are eligible to respond to a new Request for Applications to help lead Ohio’s Youth & Young Adult Early Intervention Initiative (MHA-FY21-YYA-EarlyPrev-010). All questions must be submitted to MHAS-OPWGrants@mha.ohio.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 22. Responses to frequently asked questions will be shared on the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities
page. Applications must be submitted to by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 29. Please refer to the announcement for full details, including scope of work, timelines and award amount.

Ohio Council Live Facebook Discussion to Focus on Suicide Prevention – Feb. 2

The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers is hosting a live Facebook discussion about suicide prevention, mental health, and support for families affected by suicide on Feb. 2 from 5-6 p.m. The interactive panel discussion will include key scenes from the award-winning film Scattering CJ, the story of one family's loss to suicide and the thousands of people who responded in their time of need. The panel will include representatives from OhioMHAS, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, the Franklin County LOSS team, community treatment providers from Coleman Professional Services, CJ's mom (Hallie Twomey), and Ohioan April Davis, who is featured in the film. This is a free event, and no registration is required. The panel will be streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/sparkmediafilm.

Free Behavioral Health Workforce Development Trainings Available

The Ohio State University College of Social Work, with support from OhioMHAS, has released an updated calendar of free continuing education opportunities for social workers, counselors, and chemical dependency professionals. Register for one or more of the following trainings:
Jan. 19 | Social Work Ethics: So Your Career Stays Out of Jeopardy
Jan. 28 | A Behavioral Health Clinician’s Guide for Best Practices for Treating Chronic Pain
Feb. 3 | Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT)
Feb. 16 | Preventing Burnout: Building Resilience & Health Self-Care Practices
Feb. 24 | Refugee Mental Health and Complex Trauma

Call for Proposals: Ohio Prevention Conference 2021 Virtual Training Series

In lieu on an in-person conference, the 2021 Ohio Prevention Conference will transition to a Virtual Training Series offered throughout the spring and summer. The 2021 Ohio Prevention Conference Committee is currently seeking training proposals that focus on: innovations in prevention, suicide prevention, restorative justice, community change efforts, social determinants of health, behavioral health equity, transformational leadership, and student wellness in K-12 and college settings. Not listed, but also of interest is understanding evaluation and assessment and how to evaluate local programs. The deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 29. Click HERE for more information.

Traumatic Brain Injury Training and Consultation

The Ohio Brain Injury Program has multiple resources for mental healthcare professionals to assist in helping people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The free training is aimed at understanding a TBI screening process and ways to provide accommodations for various brain injury deficits. Visit the OSU Wexner Medical Center website for a listing of upcoming trainings (scroll to view webinars). Contacts for Consultation are also available: Online via Ask the Expert: http://about-tbi.org; by e-mail: OhioBrainInjury@osumc.edu; or by telephone: 614.366.3877.

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