Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 016 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Division 27 - Department of Medical Services
Rule 016.27.22-005 - Act 886 - Outpatient Behavioral Health Services (OBHS) and School Based Mental Health Services (SBMHS) Manuals

Each beneficiary who receives School-Based Mental Health Services can receive a limited amount of services. Once those limits are reached, a Primary Care Physician (PCP) referral or Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) approval will be necessary to continue treatment. This referral or approval must be retained in the beneficiary's medical record.

A beneficiary can receive ten (10) School-Based Mental Health Services before a PCP/PCMH referral is necessary. No services will be allowed to be provided without appropriate PCP/PCMH referral. The PCP/PCMH referral must be kept in the beneficiary's medical record.

The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) will be responsible for coordinating care with a beneficiary's PCP or physician for School-Based Mental Health Services. Medical responsibility for beneficiaries receiving School-Based Mental Health Services shall be vested in a physician licensed in Arkansas.

The PCP referral or PCMH authorization for School-Based Mental Health Services will serve as the prescription for those services.

See Section I of this manual for the PCP procedures. A PCP referral is generally obtained prior to providing service to Medicaid-eligible children. However, a PCP is given the option of providing a referral after a service is provided. If a PCP chooses to make a referral after a service has been provided, the referral must be received by the SBMH provider no later than 45 calendar days after the date of service. The PCP has no obligation to give a retroactive referral.

The SBMH provider may not file a claim and will not be reimbursed for any services provided that require a PCP referral unless the referral is received.

Each beneficiary that receives only Counseling Level Services in the Outpatient Behavioral Health Services program can receive a limited amount of Counseling Level Services. Once those limits are reached, a Primary Care Physician (PCP) referral or PCMH approval will be necessary to continue treatment. This referral or approval must be retained in the beneficiary's medical record.

A beneficiary can receive ten (10) Counseling Level services before a PCP/PCMH referral is necessary. Crisis Intervention (Section 255.001) does not count toward the ten (10) counseling level services. No services, except Crisis Intervention, will be allowed to be provided without appropriate PCP/PCMH referral. The PCP/PCMH referral must be kept in the beneficiary's medical record.

The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) will be responsible for coordinating care with a beneficiary's PCP or physician for Counseling Level Services. Medical responsibility for beneficiaries receiving Counseling Level Services shall be vested in a physician licensed in Arkansas.

The PCP referral or PCMH authorization for Counseling Level Services will serve as the prescription for those services.

Verbal referrals from PCPs or PCMHs are acceptable to Medicaid as long as they are documented in the beneficiary's chart as described in Section 171.410.

See Section I of this manual for an explanation of the process to obtain a PCP referral.