SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- BEST PRACTICES IN STATE USE OF EPSDT SCREENING INSTRUMENTS FOR MENTAL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS.
- Notice Date
- 6/10/2003
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, Parklawn Building Room 5-101 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, 20857
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- REFERENCE-NUMBER-03M000182
- Response Due
- 7/1/2003
- Archive Date
- 7/16/2003
- Point of Contact
- Chris Ganey, Contract Specialist, Phone 301-443-4379, Fax 301-443-3849,
- E-Mail Address
-
cganey2@psc.gov
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), (DHHS) through the Program Support Center has a twelve (12) month simplified acqusition procurement described as follows: Staggering numbers of children and adolescents require but don?t receive treatment for mental and substance use disorders in the US. According to a recent analysis by SAMHSA?s Office of Applied Studies, for youths aged 12 to 17, an estimated 1.1 million persons (4.9 percent of this population) needed treatment for an illicit drug abuse problem in 2001. Of this group, only 100,000 youths (10.2 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 who needed treatment) received treatment, leaving an estimated treatment gap for youths of 1 million. In addition, almost 21 percent of children and adolescents have a diagnosable mental disorder and 11 percent have significant impairment as a result. An estimated 70 percent of children with mental health conditions do not receive specialty mental health services. There can be devastating consequences of this treatment gap. In 2000, approximately 3 million youths were at risk for suicide during the past year. Only 36 percent of youths at risk for suicide during the past year received any mental or substance use disorders treatment or counseling. The huge treatment gap for children with mental and substance use disorders points toward the need to give priority to early identification of these conditions. Children on Medicaid, eligible due to low socioeconomic status or significant level of disability, are even more likely to need behavioral health care. Under the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) mandate in the Medicaid Program, states are obligated to screen children on Medicaid for mental and substance use disorders. Since primary care physicians, not behavioral health specialists, usually have the responsibility to conduct EPSDT screens, states can improve the identification of behavioral health conditions by requiring that children be screened for these conditions and by providing the most effective tools to do so. Individual state Medicaid agencies have the authority to decide how to ensure that children and adolescents are screened for mental health and substance abuse problems in EPSDT screens. A recent OMC-SAMHSA study found that states vary considerably in required policies and practices regarding behavioral health screening under EPSDT. This was especially true regarding the recommended screening tools for mental and substance use disorders. Only 27 states recommended any behavioral health screening instrument, yet only one State actually required use of this screening tool. Many more states have screening tools that address mental health than substance abuse. Fifteen (15) states have specialized mental health tools compared to 4 states with specialized substance abuse tools. Eighteen (18) states have comprehensive screening tools that reference mental health compared to 11 that reference substance abuse. A more surprising finding of the study--given the availability of recognized, standardized screening instruments for both mental and substance use disorders--is that most states have created their own screening tools. It is unclear whether this reflects a discomfort with or a lack of awareness of the standardized behavioral health screening tools available. For those who recommend a mental health tool, about one-third (five of sixteen states) recommend or require a standardized mental health tool. Of States recommending a substance abuse instrument, one quarter (one of four states) recommend or require a standardized substance abuse tool. Such information raises a number of other questions that cannot currently be answered with national data, primarily assessing whether State recommendations cascade down through the health plan, the provider to affect care for children and adolescents. So, when State do recommend a behavioral health screening instrument, what kind of special programs do managed care companies implement with providers to encourage their use? What are the barriers? Further, when States do have a recommended instrument, do primary care providers generally know this? If they are aware of the instrument, what other reasons act as deterrents to performing such screenings? This project seeks to build on existing understanding about behavioral health screening under EPSDT to increase utilization of scientifically based screening tools in mental and substance use disorders screening under Medicaid for children and adolescents. The project will collect information from knowledgeable individuals on barriers to use of State recommended screening tools and use it to chart a plan of how to improve EPSDT screenings. The project will then select one promising effort identified, plan and implement it. The Children and Families Matrix Workgroup support this project. It also links with Agency Priorities Matrix in children, prevention/early intervention, science-to-service, treatment capability and the cross-cuts of financing strategies All firms interested in being considered for this potential acquisition shall submit a written request for a copy of the solicitation to the above address by 3:00 PM EST July 1, 2003. E-mail and fax are accepted.
- Record
- SN00343655-W 20030612/030611065113 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |