A bill passed during this year's legislative session requires the Department of Health to consult with affected stakeholders as it develops a redesign plan for the state-funded behavioral health system.
Franz Fuchs, a Department of Health policy analyst, said the bill set priorities to help populations and made sure the department can pay for them. Now they need to meet with stakeholders to flesh the details out.
"Let's prioritize these people for services, and then maybe implement some sort of official paper for performance," said Fuchs. "So, measure the outcomes. Are they on their medication? Are they housed? Are they employed in the community? Are they full of life in the community? That's really the goal."
Fuchs said one example of a priority group is the high needs family.
"How do we really define what someone in high need means? What kind of documentation is there to substantiate that? How do we check that? Those kinds of questions," said Fuchs.
Other topics the agency is considering include transitions like making sure patients , outcomes, oversight and eventually payment. The department will be meeting with stakeholders and the public to figure the details out.
It will take that input to the Labor, Health, and Social Services committee in September. The first meeting will take place in Casper on Tuesday.
Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Kamila Kudelska, at kkudelsk@uwyo.edu.
