Optimizing Medicaid Funding to Promote Access in Behavioral Health

Since the beginning of the Medicaid program, the federal government has restricted Medicaid reimbursement for inpatient behavioral health care, or care in IMDs. Over time, CMS has loosened this restriction in the face of growing needs and advocacy: most notably by granting waivers of the “IMD Exclusion Rule” to allow for federal financial participation in reimbursement of IMD services under certain conditions. 

Obtaining an IMD Waiver can help states to better address the opioid epidemic, support Medicaid expansion, increase behavioral health system capacity/access and/or catalyze broad behavioral health system transformation/modernization. A&M is prepared to help states achieve these outcomes by supporting them in their pursuit of IMD Waivers and any subsequent program and policy implementation.

What can A&M provide to states pursuing IMD waivers?

• Track record of helping states to assess these issues, secure waiver approval and operationalize demonstration authority to promote strategic objectives
• Nuanced understanding of CMS requirements beyond the technical documentation, developed through real-world implementation experience
• Proprietary analysis of all approved and pending waivers to support guidance to clients
• Unparalleled human services transformation experience
• World-class project management expertise