Strategies for Funding Coordinated Specialty Care Initiatives

Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) has shown great promise in early identification and effective treatment for persons experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Like many innovative interventions, there are novel components of CSC, as well as some that are not so novel, that are difficult to finance. In this webinar we feature three speakers who have addressed these problems both through their work in the RAISE initiative as well as through long careers in financing and policy supports for effective mental health care. In their presentation they will reflect on the difficulties and solutions that accompanied the implementation or RAISE as well as new opportunities that may be afforded available through the Affordable Care Act involving Medicaid expansion and new waiver authority. Finally, Tom McGuire will describe a novel funding proposal that incorporates mechanisms for reimbursing the outreach and engagement activities essential for first episode care as well as payments to reinforce the achievement of program outcomes.