Major Projects Update
Much of our Transition Team’s time has been focused on establishing our
provider network. On June 10, 2016, we posted Request for Proposals
(RFP) for pharmacy and laboratory services. We received completed
proposals on July 15, 2016. Our Board of Trustees selected Clinical
Pathology Laboratories as our laboratory services vendor. We are currently
processing that contract. On August 25, 2016, our Board of Trustees chose Integrated
Prescription Management (IPM) as our pharmacy benefits manager. We are currently in
contract negotiations with IPM.
On July 8, 2016, we posted a Request for Applications (RFA) for Texas Resilience and
Recovery (TRR) (Mental Health Services) and Substance Abuse Service Array. For Mental
Health Services, we were seeking providers capable of providing all services in the TRR levels
of care for adults and/or children. For Substance Abuse Services, we were seeking providers
of adult residential and ambulatory detox, adult and youth intensive residential, adult and youth
outpatient, and opioid treatment services. The deadline for submitting applications was August
8, 2016. We are currently in the process of developing contracts for those entities who
applied.
We continue to meet every other week with our State transition team to address issues
essential to the transition. We have focused consistently on the need for Private Psychiatric
Beds (PPBs) to be allocated for Collin County. We received word from the State on
September 7, 2016 that we have been allocated funds for two Private Psychiatric Bed days.
We are currently working on a Request for Proposals (RFP) to be posted soon for this new
service.
Additionally, on September 1, 2016, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Mental
Health and Substance Abuse Divisions were merged into the Health and Human Services
Commission (HHSC). This has affected the State transition team we have been working
closely with, as they are all now HHSC employees with different email addresses, different
reporting structures, causing adjustment to those changes as well.
We met with our HHSC Transition Team on September 12, 2016 for our second Readiness
Review. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the current status of LifePath’s planning and
implementation of Local Behavioral Health Authority functions. We met with the HHSC team
for eight hours and reviewed the following topics: information technology infrastructure and
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application development; Mental Health Provider Network development; Substance Abuse
Provider Network development; Utilization Management; State/local Community Hospital
Coordination; Crisis Services Hotline and Mobile Crisis Outreach; Prescription Assistance
Program Management; Provider Payments; Financial Management; Communication Plan; and
Transition of Care. LifePath received initial positive feedback from the team and an official
report will be released within a couple of weeks.
We have had recent discussions on updating our contract for Pre-Admission Screening and
Resident Review (PASRR) services. This is a federal requirement to help ensure that
individuals are not inappropriately placed in nursing homes for long term care. PASRR
requires that 1) all applicants to a Medicaid-certified nursing facility be evaluated for mental
illness; 2) be offered the most appropriate setting for their needs (in the community, a nursing
facility, or acute care settings); and 3) receive the services they need in those settings.
Additional meetings with HHSC staff will be scheduled to ensure our current PASRR program
transitions to add on the required duties that come with being the Local Authority as of 1/1/17.
We have been coordinating with our HHSC Transition Team on the Transition Contract which
started September 1, 2016. This is our first funding from HHSC for expenses related to the
transition to the Local Authority. With these funds, have begun hiring utilization management,
mobile crisis outreach teams, contracts management, quality management, & consumer
benefits specialists in order to be ready for the transition on 1/1/17. Additionally, expenses
related to the expansion of these staff will be covered by these funds, including required
trainings, computers, office furniture, and vehicles (i.e. mobile crisis outreach teams). In order
to be ready to assume the responsibilities of the Local Authority on 1/1/17, there are many
procedures to be written, trainings to attend, and staff to hire and orient to their new duties. If
you are interested in working at LifePath Systems, please go to our website at
www.lifepathsystems.org for job postings.
After-Hours Crisis Clinic in Plano is Open!
7308 Alma Drive, Plano, TX 75025
Who to Refer: Individuals who are in a crisis and require crisis intervention and/or psychiatric
services in order to prevent a higher level of care. If you have questions about how the clinic
works, call Brad Negrete, Crisis Services Program Administrator at (972) 422-5939. Please
continue to call 911 for individuals who are a danger to themselves or others or who
require immediate medical assistance.
Hours
Monday-Friday
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday
12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(check in for last appointment is one hour before close)
Thank you in advance for telling others about this new resource for Collin County.
Meet The Local Behavioral Health Authority Staff
Please welcome Lifepath System’s new Utilization Manager, Ann
Aprea, LPC-S. Ann comes to LifePath Systems with a wealth of
knowledge in the behavioral health field. She has been a Licensed
Professional Counselor for over 15 years and has attained competency
in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and has been trained in Cognitive
Processing Therapy. Ann has performed case management duties as
well as conducting counseling in a variety of settings with a diverse
array of individuals including both an acute care psychiatric facility and a nursing home with
the geriatric population, a foster care program and day treatment program with adults,
adolescents, children and families, an apartment community working with indigent aging and
disabled individuals and their families, a boarding school with adolescent girls and their
families, and in two community mental health centers in Texas serving individuals with mental
health and substance use disorders.
Ann also gained experience in utilization management while working at both community
mental health centers. She served as utilization reviewer with Pecan Valley Centers where
she evaluated medical records for medical necessity to determine level or care at intake, for
updates, and at discharge. While with Lakes Regional Community Center, she worked in the
utilization management department and developed reports to monitor staff and clinic
performance to meet mental health contractual targets set forth by DSHS. She also provided
utilization review activities by authorizing levels of care at point of intake, concurrent reviews,
and discharge reviews.
Utilization management is a critical component of DSHS mental health and substance use
disorder systems, as it is the process by which LifePath Systems as the new Local Behavioral
Health Authority can ensure individuals receive quality, cost effective services in a timely
manner in the most appropriate treatment setting. Key UM processes include the facilitation
of access and referral to services, promotion of the most effective use of resources, and the
ongoing exchange of clinical information between the LMHA and providers.
As Utilization Manager with LifePath Systems, Ann’s primary role will consist of conducting
utilization reviews and granting or denying authorizations for both mental health and
substance use disorder services. Ann will conduct perspective, concurrent, and retrospective
reviews for authorizations. Reviews will be conducted using information submitted by
providers, direct contact with providers, review of medical necessity records, and contact with
the individual and family as needed. Ann will also be tasked with monitoring service delivery
and outcomes to ensure services are not over or under utilized as well as reviewing data to
detect outliers and unusual patterns of utilization. Ann will inform individuals and providers
regarding most appropriate treatment alternatives and community resources, and will
participate in provider training on the UM process and will provide consultation as needed
regarding adherence to the UM guidelines that will be monitored.
For more information about Utilization Management, please refer to the DSHS website:
http://www.dshs.texas.gov/mhsa/trr/um/.
Meet The Local Behavioral Health Authority Staff
We are pleased to welcome Kate McCormick, Contracts Manager, to
LifePath Systems’ Behavioral Health Services Division. Kate was
originally hired by LifePath Systems in 2012 as an Authority Functions
Program Specialist, performing contracts management activities for the
Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) Division of the organization.
She was later promoted to Quality Assurance Specialist. Her tenure
with LifePath Systems has bolstered her analytical skills and knowledge of credentialing
procedures & compliance monitoring. These skills will be essential to help develop and
maintain a strong Provider Network.
Kate is originally from Rhode Island. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from
Flagler College, Florida in 1997. After graduation, she returned to Rhode Island, where she
began her career in community support services as a Senior Residential Counselor for youth
in state custody. She later transitioned to administration, as the Business Office Manager of
The John Clarke Retirement Center, a non-profit Skilled Nursing and Independent Living
Facility. Her time there provided extensive experience in finance and customer relations, and
solidified her passion for helping those in need. She remained at John Clarke until 2008 when
she moved to Los Angeles, California, to be with her future husband. There she worked as a
Development Associate for a free clinic, collaborating in fundraising efforts to provide the Los
Angeles County indigent population with quality comprehensive healthcare.
In 2012, Kate and her husband moved to the DFW area to be closer to family, where she
began her career with LifePath Systems. She enjoys spending time with her husband and
children, attending food festivals, art exhibits, and other local community and cultural events.
Kate is excited to support the organization and the community in her new role with LifePath
Systems.
Planning and Network Advisory Committee
A requirement of the performance contract beginning January 1, 2017 is to have a Planning
and Network Advisory Committee (PNAC). This committee will be actively involved in the
development of the Consolidated Local Service Plan and the Provider Network Development
Plan.
Membership must be comprised of at least 50% clients or family members of clients.
Members must be objective and avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest performing
the responsibilities of the committee. Quarterly meetings will be held to discuss issues on a
variety of topics that impact service delivery, network expansion, evaluation and development.
Applications are being accepted for review and approval by the LifePath Systems’ Board of
Trustees. If you are interested in joining our Behavioral Health PNAC, please visit our website
and review the procedure and complete the application. Please forward the application to
Kate McCormick, Behavioral Health Contracts Manager at [email protected].
PNAC Overview and Application: http://www.lifepathsystems.org/archives/3643.
Veteran’s Services
Our nation as of late has been witness to horrible tragedies,
domestic and foreign. As we assess those events, we find
ourselves at a loss when attempting to find some hidden
key that will unlock tranquility. We all know finding a magic
key in hopes to put an end to senseless tragedy is not
reality; however, we can make a difference in areas in
which we identify a need.
The most recent domestic attacks against law enforcement, helps to put a spotlight on a very
key struggle our nation faces, Veteran care. Recently, two Veterans one in Dallas, the other
Baton Rouge, acted in a way that brings to light the mental health of our Veterans and the
crisis they face. A spotlight that reminds us, how much work we have to do, how much farther
we have to go, and our continued commitment to helping Veterans get the care they need.
We’ve worked hard to establish organizations at the local, state and national level, to meet
Veterans care more aggressively, in an effort to give Veterans a place to address issues of
mental health. We’ve created a network of community volunteers to work tirelessly within our
communities in an effort to make contact with Veterans who would otherwise not be effectively
engaged into care.
The Military Veteran Peer Network is one of those organizations, putting Veteran care first, by
establishing a community network of volunteers ready at a moment’s notice to help Veterans in
all walks of life by offering support and guidance. We are actively involved in the court system
working with Veterans addicted to drugs or alcohol. We’ve established peer groups; giving
local Veterans a place they can go to be around other Veterans, feel accepted, and challenge
them to be healthy.
MVPN LifePath of Collin County is committed to helping Veterans with all issues. We’re ready
and willing. We’re trained to make connections with Veterans in our community, recognize
their needs and act on them. Our biggest challenge as a nation, as a community, is to address
mental health in a way that’s productive and life changing. At MVPN LifePath, we have the
tools to help. If you know a Veteran who’s become increasingly solitary, chosen to disconnect
themselves from others, or who may struggle with mental health issues, the MVPN may be the
answer to help that Veteran get healthy. We owe it to ourselves, to the health of our nation, to
make Veteran care a priority.
If you would like to contact the Military Veteran Peer Network at LifePath, please contact Clark
Gullette, MVPN Coordinator or Tim Morton, Assistant Coordinator at: 972-704-8281.
http://www.lifepathsystems.org/military-veterans
https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryVeteranCollinCounty
NAMI CONNECTIONS
A support group for persons living
with mental illness
Every Thursday
(except holidays)
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Custer Road United Methodist Church
6601 Custer Road, Plano
Basement Floor Room B-6
NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT
A support group for relatives and loved ones with mental illness
Every Thursday
(except holidays)
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Custer Road United Methodist Church
6601 Custer Road, Plano
Basement Floor Room B-1