Aetna Better Health of Ohio Selected as New OhioRISE Managed Care Organization
The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) on Monday
announced that it has selected Aetna Better Health of Ohio to serve as the specialized managed care organization for the state’s children with the most complex behavioral health needs under the new OhioRISE (Ohio Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence) program. OhioRISE is a part of Governor DeWine’s priority Children’s Initiative. Aetna will work with ODM, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), and Governor DeWine’s Family and Children First Cabinet Council to implement a child and family-centric model featuring new targeted behavioral health services and intensive care coordination delivered by community partners. Aetna will also coordinate with the state’s Medicaid managed care organizations and the new single pharmacy benefit manager to ensure medical and pharmaceutical services and supports are integrated in the child’s comprehensive health plan. The OhioRISE program addresses gaps in Ohio’s health care system that currently result in 140 Ohio kids living out of state on any given day in order to access the behavioral health services they need. Today, too many families have no choice but to voluntarily relinquish custody of their children to local child welfare agencies to access needed behavioral health care for their children. The OhioRISE managed care plan will fill in these gaps by developing a network of care management entities working with Ohio’s behavioral health providers to offer new intensive, coordinated services for children and families statewide. Visit the
OhioRISE page on
managedcare.medicaid.ohio.gov to learn more about the new OhioRISE program. Click
HERE to view a video from Governor Mike DeWine and ODM Director Maureen Corcoran.
LACTS User Training and Support Sessions – April 12
As part of ongoing system improvements to the OhioMHAS Licensure and Certification Tracking System (LACTS), all initial and renewal applications must be filed electronically beginning May 3*. This change will help ensure timeliness in submissions, promote adherence to filing deadlines, and increase efficiency in the review process, benefiting the health and safety of all Ohioans who rely on quality mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery support services. To help providers prepare for this change, OhioMHAS will host training sessions on April 12 to provide an overview of LACTS as well as guidance on how to submit documents electronically. Please contact liccert@mha.ohio.gov with questions.
Community behavioral health programs, OTPS and private psychiatric hospitals are invited to participate in a training from noon-1 p.m.
Webinar ID: 919-857-667
Class 1, 2 and 3 residential facilities are invited to participate in a session from 2-3 p.m.
Webinar ID: 590-836-715
*It is important to note that this does not change any application requirements according to the licensure or certification standards, it only affects how the application is filed.
Alcohol Awareness Month Toolkit
In recognition of April as “Alcohol Awareness Month,” the Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network has released a #ProofIsInTheNumbers awareness toolkit. This resource seeks to raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of strong alcohol policies using memes, and encourage engagement from prevention and public health stakeholders to strategically educate and inform decision makers about effective alcohol policies by providing easy-to-personalize, templated opinion editorials, letters to legislators and proclamations.
Nominations Sought: Ed Comer Award & MI/ID Team Awards
The Ohio NADD Conference planning committee is seeking nominations for its 2021 Ed Comer Award and MI/ID Team Awards. The Ed Comer Award for Excellence in Service to Individuals with IDD was established in 2008 by the Ohio Coordinating Center of Excellence (CCOE) in Mental Illness/Intellectual Disability. The award is named for Ed Comer who provided program administration for the Ohio CCOE from its inception until his retirement in April of 2008. The award is presented to individuals who make extraordinary contributions in the fields of mental illness & intellectually disability by motivating systems of care to work together, by establishing training programs to expand skills & confidence for those who work the field, by insisting that more clinical services are necessary to maintain individuals with dual diagnosis in their home communities, and/or by promoting more research efforts in the field of dual diagnosis. The MI/ID CCOE Team Award recognizes counties that have excelled in the area of provision of services and resources to individuals with co-occurring conditions. The accomplishments may include educational programming, collaborative efforts among systems, team building, coordinating specialized clinical services, and many other administrative and leadership activities. Their advocacy efforts in accessing mental health treatment and in coordinating care for individuals with IDD with the most complex needs could be a model for others. Please email nominations to tina.evans@dodd.ohio.gov no later than May 28.
SAMHSA Fourth Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Symposium – May 4
The National Council on Aging, U.S. Administration for Community Living, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have announced plans to host the Fourth Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Symposium on May 4. This free, virtual event will empower professionals with the latest tools to improve the lives of older adults in their communities, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom Coderre, acting Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, will provide opening remarks at 10 a.m. in support of all who provided services to older adults and their families during this very difficult year. Click
HERE for more information and to register.
CBHC Practitioner Enrollment File Now Available on BH Website
The following information was distributed in a MITS BITS and is being amplified here as a courtesy.
In February 2021 the Ohio Department of Medicaid
communicated a need to temporarily suspend the CBHC Practitioner Enrollment file that is posted to the Medicaid behavioral health (BH) website on a weekly basis. The CBHC Practitioner Enrollment file is once again available for BH agencies (MITS provider types 84 and 95) to view their affiliated practitioners. BH agencies can access the file on the BH website
HERE under the “Enrolling Practitioners in Medicaid” section. Additionally, BH agencies are still able to access provider information via their secure MITS Portal by reviewing their “group members.”
SAMHSA Releases Updated Disaster Planning Handbook for Behavioral Health Service Programs
SAMHSA has
published an update of Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 34, Disaster Planning Handbook for Behavioral Health Service Programs, making available another tool to help support the response to COVID-19. The updated TAP provides guidance for developing or refreshing a comprehensive disaster plan. Topics include: continuity planning, management of prescription medications, pandemic disease (including COVID-19), and testing and using the plan. The TAP also features worksheets to help guide program leaders through the disaster planning process.
