Free SAMHSA handbook details how Medicaid works with behavioral health services

A new Medicaid handbook for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), titled “Medicaid Handbook: Interface with Behavioral Health Services,” provides readers with an understanding of the Medicaid program and how it relates to services and programs for individuals with behavioral health needs.

“The handbook is a great resource for policy makers, consumers and behavioral health services providers trying to better understand the Medicaid program, which is the single largest funder of behavioral health services in the United States,” said Maureen Corcoran, president of Vorys Health Care Advisers, one of the handbook's authors. “While the Handbook is written with a behavioral health focus, it will also prove to be an invaluable resource to anyone interested in the fundamentals of Medicaid.”

In addition to basic information about Medicaid and behavioral health services, the handbook covers a variety of topics, including care coordination initiatives, structure and reimbursement methodologies, and the relationship between Medicaid and Medicare.

“With the Affordable Care Act set to enact the largest expansion of Medicaid in history, the shared understanding between State Medicaid and behavioral health authorities is fundamental to designing efficiently coordinated care,” said John Easterday, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager/Center for Financing Reform and Innovations at Truven Health Analytics, another of the handbook's authors. the handbook. “We believe this handbook will prove invaluable in helping a wide range of parties involved with behavioral healthcare coordination to better understand the new landscape." 

The handbook is available for download at the SAMHSA website.