Brady Serafin Addresses the State’s Behavioral Health Challenges in Serving At-Risk Children and Adolescents
July 31, 2024
AUSTIN, TEXAS (July 31, 2024) – The Texas Association of Behavioral Health Systems (TABHS) called for reforms to the state’s Medicaid policies and reimbursement at a July 31 Texas House Select Committee on Youth, Health & Safety interim hearing.
Brady Serafin, the CEO of Cedar Crest Hospital & Residential Treatment Center, testified on behalf of TABHS before the Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety hearing regarding “Behavioral Health Services for At-Risk Youth” and identified four gaps in behavioral health services facing Texas children and adolescents:
- Intensive Outpatient Therapy (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) are not covered benefits under Texas Medicaid.
- The lack of crisis services and interventions available statewide.
- Waitlist for services delivered through local mental health authorities (LMHAs).
- An inadequate network of child and adolescent behavioral health providers.
Mr. Serafin noted that freestanding psychiatric hospitals have the majority of inpatient beds in the state. “I have patients who have come to my facility in Belton who have driven five hours to find an available inpatient bed. They have often had a dozen or more hospitalizations prior to coming to me,” Serafin said.
Mr. Serafin offered recommendations on behalf of TABHS for the Texas Legislature to consider:
- Expand covered services in Medicaid such as IOP and PHP to create a true continuum of services that can be tailored to meet an individual’s needs.
- Tailor reimbursement of both inpatient and outpatient services to target the needs of children, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all model.
“We have about a 95 percent success rate with IOP and PHP in keeping kids from coming back to inpatient care when it is available,” Serafin said.
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About TABHS
TABHS was founded in 2024 to serve as the united voice for over 65 behavioral health hospitals that provide the highest level of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care to Texans.
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Visit www.www.tabhs.com to learn more.
