Resource
FY16 Budget Testimony: Department of Healthcare Finance
On April 17, 2015, Sharra E. Greer, policy director at Children’s Law Center, testified at the Department of Healthcare Finance hearing on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s FY16 budget. In the testimony, Children’s Law Center noted progress this year in the following areas:
- An increase in the number of children receiving mental health services, largely due to DHCF’s focus on program delivery in pediatric mental health services by managed care organizations (MCOs). Ninety-percent of children in DC receive their healthcare through MCOs;
- Earlier detection of developmental and behavioral health issues. Pediatricians across the district are now required to screen children for mental health needs using standardized screening tools. DHCF implemented new rates and billing requirements for FY15, which ensures pediatricians will get paid for these screenings and eliminates the need for new funding.