Crystal Fox

And so one of the things we could do federally is reverse the IMD exclusion so federal dollars can come in to do more wraparound services for the sickest of our members of our society that really require long-term care.

Well, you know, I think I said for a long time that our mental health codes are out of sync with science, that they are inpatient models in an outpatient world, meaning that the focus is on inpatient hospitalization.

95% of the care is provided outpatient.

We need to come

reverse the system from an inpatient model to an outpatient model.

And we're slowly moving that way.

Now, Michigan has made some strides for assisted outpatient treatment as a standard order now.

If you end up in Wayne County Probate Court on a petition for hospitalization, you're also going to get AOT.

So the problem is our standard for intervention permits you to file a petition for someone who's not sick enough for hospitalization, but they are sick enough for outpatient treatment.

Problem is, in order to use it, you've got to get hospitalized first because the system is still backwards.

So we have legislation pending, which has passed the House and Senate, which would allow for easier intervention early before someone is so sick they have to be hospitalized.

I think that should be our goal.

I'm not sure about that.

The way it would work would a family member could file a petition with the probate court saying, my son has a mental illness.

He needs treatment on an outpatient basis.

And then we'd have someone testify on that.

And if the judge felt that he required it, he could order outpatient treatment.

We would permit a psychiatric nurse practitioner to testify or a physician assistant with a psychiatric background could testify or a psychologist, not just a psychiatrist, at the hearing.

So it would be easier to present the testimony you need.

And the court would be in a position to enter an order for AOT if it was found to be required.