The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for emergency review the proposed information collection requirements for states that intend to participate in the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides $75 million for the American Hospital Association-supported project, which will study the effects of allowing Medicaid payment for inpatient stabilization of psychiatric patients aged 21 to 64 who express suicidal or homicidal gestures and are considered a danger to themselves or others.
"By allowing coverage for inpatient admission for emergency psychiatric treatment otherwise prohibited by the Medicaid institutions for mental diseases exclusion, the demonstration may improve access to appropriate psychiatric care, improve quality of care for Medicaid patients, and encourage greater availability of inpatient psychiatric beds, thereby reducing the necessity of psychiatric boarding," the CMS notice states. CMS will accept comments on the proposed information collection through May 4, and requests OMB review and approval by May 9.
