Background
During the 2021 Session, the Legislature passed Senate Sub. for HB 2208, which included a requirement for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) to establish a certification process for certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs), a Medicaid provider type, and complete the transition to the CCBHC model by SFY 2025.
KDADS certified six CCBHCs in SFY 2022, three in SFY 2023, 11 in SFY 2024, and has six planned in SFY 2025. Currently, 20 of the planned 26 CCBHCs are certified in Kansas.
Community Mental Health Centers
Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) are mental health facilities that are statutorily identified to provide community-based public mental health services, and largely serve as the main entry points for the mental health system. CMHCs provide outpatient services to adults and children, as well as behavioral health screening for patients. The 26 CMHCs in Kansas also serve as the gatekeepers for admission to state mental health hospitals. KDADS maintains a directory of CMHCs.1
Currently, a CMHC bills and will receive reimbursement for each different service it provides. That reimbursement rate covers the cost for the provider to provide that service and does not cover any administrative costs the CMHC might have. This type of funding is known as the “service reimbursement model.”
KDADS has indicated that the service reimbursement model can place a CMHC in a situation where it might not be able to provide more-intensive services. Due to reimbursement the CMHC might receive for certain services, and how frequently the services are utilized, this could reduce the services offered in certain areas, such as the western part of the state.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are defined by the National Council on Mental Wellbeing as “a specially-designated clinic that provides a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services.”2 CCBHCs are Medicaid provider type clinics and are required to meet certain requirements in order to earn certification, which includes providing evidence-based practices to their clients, as well as serving the “whole person.”
Generally, a CCBHC is required to provide a certain set of core services. These include, but are not limited to:
- Person-centered and family-centered care;
- Crisis services;
- Outpatient mental health and substance use services; and
- Screening, assessment, and diagnosis, and risk assessment.
Currently, there are 20 CCBHCs certified in Kansas, with six more scheduled to be certified in SFY 25. In July 2024, KDADS announced it had received a CCBHC Demonstration Grant. [Note: A CCBHC may also be a CMHC.]
A CCBHC is funded using a Prospective Payment System (PPS) rate. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) developed the PPS rate, and it was approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Kansas state plan amendments by KDADS and KDHE were also approved.
The PPS rate is a cost-based payment methodology in which the Medicaid payment is based on a predetermined, fixed amount. It is calculated as:
| Annual Allowable Costs | =PPS Rate |
| Annual Daily Visits |
Phased Plan for CCBHC Implementation
During the 2021 Legislative Session, KDADS indicated it would implement a phased approach to certify CCBHCs. Its plan would begin in FY 2022 and continue through FY 2025.
| IMPLEMENTATION OF CCBHC CERTIFICATION | |||||||
| All Funds | SGF | Number of CCBHCs | |||||
| FY 2022 Actuals | $ | 6,537,076 | $ | 2,206,917 | 6 | ||
| FY 2023 Approved | $ | 58,833,683 | $ | 22,706,918 | 9 | ||
| FY 2024 Approved | $ | 88,584,619 | $ | 33,954,484 | 26 | ||
| TOTAL | $ | 153,955,378 | $ | 58,865,319 | 26 | ||
- https://kdads.ks.gov/kdads-commissions/behavioral-health/community-mental-health-centers ↩︎
- https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/program/ccbhc-success-center/ccbhc-overview/ ↩︎
by Elizabeth Cohn
Senior Research Analyst
785-296-4382