Schools are an important setting for providing health services to children and adolescents covered by Medicaid, particularly as communities seek to address an increase in behavioral health challenges among young people. As part of the Commission’s efforts to understand how children and adolescents access behavioral health care, MACPAC has been examining how states and schools make these services available when provided by personnel employed by schools or local education agencies.
This presentation provided background information on school-based services as a foundation for the Commission’s November meeting, where staff will present findings from stakeholder interviews. It included an overview of school-based services, described key concepts related to financing and payment, and discussed select factors affecting billing and claiming for school-based services. Many of the topics addressed in the presentation are relevant to school-based services generally, though they also play a role in shaping access to behavioral health services, specifically.