HB 3229
Directs the Oregon Health Authority to expedite the process for enrolling behavioral health providers in the medical assistance program and study the feasibility of developing and implementing an automated, online tool for behavioral health provider enrollment applications.
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Support
100%
Oppose
0%
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to speed up the process for enrolling behavioral health providers in the medical assistance program. It also asks OHA to study and potentially create an online tool to simplify and automate these enrollment applications. Furthermore, it requires coordinated care organizations to make enrollment decisions within 30 days and to retroactively reimburse providers for completed applications.
Key provisions
- Expedite the enrollment process for behavioral health providers.
- Study the feasibility of an automated, online enrollment tool.
- Require coordinated care organizations to make enrollment decisions within 30 days.
- Mandate retroactive reimbursement to providers for completed applications.
- Establish separate workflows for initial applications, administrative changes, and credentialing updates.
- Require OHA to notify applicants and employers of enrollment errors.
- The study must include recommendations for short-term improvements and potential federal funding.
- The study must be completed and submitted to the Legislative Assembly by December 15, 2026.
Who is affected
- Oregon Health Authority
- Behavioral health providers
- Coordinated care organizations
- Medical assistance recipients
- Healthcare providers
Notable changes
- Requires a 30-day decision timeline for coordinated care organizations regarding provider contracts.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
Supporters of House Bill 3229 argue that the proposed changes will address significant barriers to accessing mental health services in Oregon, particularly for vulnerable populations. The main concerns cited include lengthy processing delays for credentialing and empaneling behavioral health providers, resulting in wait times of up to 56 days for OHP provider enrollments. These delays are seen as hindering the state's investment in behavioral health funding, exacerbating existing shortages of mental health professionals and unmet needs. By streamlining these processes, supporters believe that HB 3229 will improve access to care, enable agencies like OBHIPA to recruit and retain qualified staff, and ultimately address Oregon's critical need for behavioral health services.
Source: Testimony Summaries
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