Changes in Medicaid practices needed to support Kansas mental health network, expert says
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What is the current mental‑health workforce shortage in Kansas?
Licensed clinician and trauma therapist Tara Wallace recently wrote about the behavioral health crisis facing Kansas. She highlighted the state's workforce problem with numbers. We rank 37th in mental health workforce availability and kind of a big and horrifying statistic, 96 of our 105 counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas. And with real experiences from mental health professionals across the state, She talks quite a bit about how important it is for the state to address these challenges. Tara is joining me today to talk about the practices within Medicaid managed care that are exacerbating some of these difficulties. Welcome to the Kansas Reflector podcast, Tara. Thank you.
Thank you so much for joining me today to talk about this tough topic. Before we dive in, can you tell me just a little bit about yourself?
Sure. I am born and raised Topekan. went through public school in Topeka, left for a little bit and then moved back and then continued my education at Washburn where I became a social worker. And just hit the ground running, I tell a lot of people. I hit the ground running, focused on all the things that concern me in my community because I was community-based when I started working and just fell in love with advocating for so many people that I worked with that weren't getting the resources that they needed, the voices that they needed to be speaking to. people in power, people that make policies and all of those things. And it just became who I am as a person and a social worker.
Which makes, of course, the mental health care challenges for professionals really dear to your heart, I would imagine. Can you talk a little bit about some of those challenges that we're seeing with our mental health network first?
Boy, I belong to a lot of groups on Facebook because we network and share resources. And for about a couple of weeks, a lot of them were talking about having their contracts terminated. And the more that I started reading through these and thinking to myself, There's a long-term impact and there's a snowball effect to this. Somebody needs to say something because I don't know if the powers that be realize what's happening. Providers are so busy doing the work, they don't have the time or the capacity to reach out and say, hey, this is what's happening to us. We need someone to stop this or say something about it or address it because we're already in a crisis. If we're already in a crisis, eliminating the workforce is not the way to address it.
Oh, exactly. So can you define just a little bit for me when you talk about contracts? These are contracts specifically within our Medicaid network. Is that right?
Absolutely. As a provider, we all have to be credentialed through any of the managed care organizations. We fill out a 20 something page document, the same document for all of them. And then we go through the approval process. Once we're approved, we become providers in that network. A lot of my colleagues are receiving emails or letters saying that their contracts have been terminated for no cause.
which is something apparently that they're allowed to do. But is this something that you've seen happen a lot in the past or heard a lot about in the past?
Not as much.
How do Medicaid managed‑care contract terminations affect providers and clients?
in the past as it is now, and it's more focused. There have been occasions where managed care organizations will eliminate contracts for 80% of their providers that generate under a certain level of revenue for them because it's more cost effective. If I'm creating work for your employees, but I'm not generating the revenue that you need in order to sustain that, it's not cost-effective for you to maintain me. And individuals will mysteriously drop off as a provider without receiving any documentation saying that their contract's terminated or things of that nature. And as a provider, especially for someone like me in private practice, I'm not focused on that paperwork. I'm focused on providing services to the individuals.
Thankfully, I have someone that handles that for me, but I'm not the only person that she works for.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the current mental‑health workforce shortage in Kansas?
0:00–3:30
2
How do Medicaid managed‑care contract terminations affect providers and clients?
3:30–7:19
3
Why does cutting providers from networks increase crisis‑related costs?
7:19–11:18
4
How does sudden loss of a provider impact continuity of care for children in foster care?
11:18–14:53
5
What legislative solution in New York protects providers from abrupt terminations?
14:53–18:25
6
How could Kansas adopt a similar due‑process rule for Medicaid contracts?
18:25–22:14
7
What strategies do clinicians use to stay resilient amid policy‑driven burnout?
22:14–25:55
8
What actionable steps can policymakers take to strengthen Kansas’ mental‑health network?
25:55–26:52
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