Special Initiatives

Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services

Below is a collection of training offerings, tools and resources related to the New York State Office of Mental Health's (OMH) updated Part 599 regulations, Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS). These changes add multiple flexibilities including an option to provide Peer Support Services to Children, Youth, Adult, and Older Adult, as well as allowances for offsite service provision for all populations served within MHOTRS programs. These and additional materials can be found throughout the ctacny.org website.

Documents/Guidance

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has updated the Part 599 regulations for OMH Article 31 Clinic services, now called Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS). 

    • Adopted Part 599 Regulations and Guidance: Amendment of Part 599 regulations relating to the certification, operation and reimbursement of clinic treatment programs serving adults and children. Effective November 23, 2022.

    • Updated Part 599 Regulations and Guidance: Please note, any language that is underlined is new language added to the regulations; any language with [brackets] or [brackets and crossed out] is language that has been removed from the regulations.

    • Peer Support Services Guidance: Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services Guidance on Youth, Family, Adult, and Older Adult Peer Support Services.

    • Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Service Guidance: Article 31 MHOTRS Program Guidance has been updated to address the changes in Part 599 regulations, that were approved in November 2022 to allow more flexibilities, since moving under the Rehab State Plan Amendment.  The Program Guidance also contains updated language and formatting since the last guidance revisions.

    Webinars and Events

    • May 2024: Documentation and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Trends:
      Managed Care Technical Assistance Center (MCTAC) and Community Technical Assistance Center (CTAC), in partnership with the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), hosted an in-person documentation training event in Albany, with a spotlight on how Electronic Health Record (EHR) vendors and providers have been working together to streamline documentation in MHOTRS programs.

    • June 2023: Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS) Learning Collaborative Lessons Learned Webinar: As a conclusion to our Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS) Learning Collaborative, MCTAC hosted a Lessons Learned Webinar on June 28, 2023. During this webinar, the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the MCTAC team reviewed key topics, insights, and takeaways from the 3-month Learning Collaborative. Participants from the Learning Collaborative also served as panelists to share their experiences. A broad range of topics were covered, including: documentation, billing, implementation strategies, off-site services and peer support services.

    • January 2023: Billing Changes for Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS): This pre-recorded webinar provides an overview of the updated billing guidance for Article 31 Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS). Topics presented in this webinar include 2022 rate increases, Rate Distribution System, Part 599 Regulation Changes, as well as Peer/Family Support Services, Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services, and an overview of revenue cycle management. 

    • September 2022: Mental Health Outpatient Treatment & Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS) Regulation Overview Webinar: The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) presented an overview of the Part 599 proposed regulations bringing OMH Article 31 Clinic services under the Medicaid State Plan Rehab Option as Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS). This shift will add flexibility for billing and waiver processes, and include an option to provide Peer Support Services, as well as allowances for offsite service provision for all populations served within MHOTRS.

    • July 2022: Mental Health Outpatient Treatment & Rehabilitative Services Regulation Overview Webinar: The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) presented an overview of the newly released Part 599 proposed draft regulations that bring OMH Article 31 Clinic services under the Medicaid State Plan Rehab Option as Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS). This shift adds flexibility for billing and waiver processes, and includes an option to provide Peer/Family Support Services, as well as allowances for offsite service provision for all populations served within MHOTRS.

    Tools

    • Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Best Practices: This tool maps out key Revenue Cycle Management practices at various stages in service provision, gives advice for how to accomplish these tasks, and notes how these practices might relate to claim fields and/or denial codes. 

    Questions and requests for support may be sent via email to the appropriate host agency:

    For general questions contact: mctac.info@nyu.edu

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