GenIC #59 (Revision): Medicaid Section 1115 Severe Mental Illness and Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance Demonstrations

Attachment 12.a. IMD and CMHC Provider Stakeholder Interview Introductory Email from CMS to State Medicaid Director

To: State Medicaid Director

CC: CMCS DDME Analyst, RTI SMI Team Lead, 1115M&E mailbox

Subject: RTI International Evaluation of Section 1115 Serious Mental Illness/Serious Emotional Disturbance Demonstrations

Dear [STATE MEDICAID DIRECTOR],

Your state received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement a section 1115 serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance (SMI/SED) demonstration. States with section 1115 SMI/SED demonstrations are required to conduct independent evaluations of their demonstrations and report monitoring data regularly. To complement individual state evaluations and monitoring, the CMS has contracted with RTI International to conduct a meta-evaluation of SMI/SED demonstrations. This evaluation will look across states with SMI/SED demonstrations to understand the demonstrations’ effectiveness and how the context in which demonstrations are implemented lead to differences in effectiveness.

As part of the evaluation, RTI is conducting telephone interviews with institutions of mental disease (IMDs) and community mental health center (CMHC) leadership in states implementing SMI/SED demonstrations to understand the impacts of demonstrations on providers and Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS is asking that you help identify relevant IMD and CMHC providers and provide a warm hand-off to the IMD and CMHC leadership via email introduction.

Interviews will cover implementation reimbursement for care, patient assessments, and care coordination and transitions of care.

RTI will follow up with you via email and can provide you with an email template for contacting IMD and CMHC leadership. We appreciate your help facilitating this important evaluation. Please contact me at [INSERT CMS PHONE NUMBER] if you have questions.

Thank you,

Director, State Demonstrations Group