Behavioral Healthcare

One in four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. According to a 2007 Robinson and Reiter study, 70% of primary care visits stem from psycho-social issues. Individuals with serious physical health problems often have comorbid mental health problems and nearly half of those with any mental disorder have two or more conditions with severity strongly linked to comorbidity. Depression is the third most common reason for a visit to a health center after diabetes and hypertension.

Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, funding for behavioral health services was comprised of private pay and Medicaid services primarily through the community mental health system. Very little commercial insurance paid for behavioral health services. With the inclusion of behavioral health as an essential health benefit, more commercial payor money is available for behavioral health services.

Our Team

The Behavioral Healthcare team at Dickinson Wright has nearly 70 years of combined industry experience. Our lawyers represent clients as they navigate through the behavioral health care reformation brought on by the 2008 Parity Act and the 2010 Affordable Care Act. From the beginning, our attorneys have been involved in the latest developments affecting the industry, including developing behavioral health insurance exchanges; integrating primary medical and behavioral health programs; creation of clinically integrated networks and implementing new CMS managed care, stark, parity and coordination of care regulations.

Our Services

Our lawyers are familiar with government managed care contracts and the issues affecting all providers generated through ongoing governmental regulation. We represent clients in a wide range of matters, including:

• Managed Care contracts.
• Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement.
• Labor and employment law services.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sanctions.
• Participation in and development of Clinically Integrated Networks.
• Corporate compliance development, education and maintenance.
• Corporate law, including contract disputes and government procurement.
• Administrative law, including government regulatory compliance, administrative hearings, and licensing.
• Healthcare financing, creation and operation of managed care organizations.
• Civil litigation matters including claims disputes, fraud and abuse, malpractice defense, qui tam actions, and coverage denials.
• Mergers and acquisitions of healthcare industry providers.

Our goal is to be more than just an attorney to our behavioral healthcare clients. We become trusted counselors and advisors to your client’s organization. We do this by knowing and learning your business, spending time at your facilities and keeping our eye on the bottom line. Our clients like working with us – just ask them!