Office of Health Strategy and Coordination

The Office of Health Strategy and Coordination (OHSC) was established in the Georgia Code (Title 31 Chapter 53) by House Bill 186 during the 2019 Legislative Session. OHSC is an office within the Office of the Governor and is administratively attached to the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB).

The powers and duties of OHSC include:

Facilitating collaboration and coordination between state agencies
Coordinating health functions and outcomes, including mental health services
Serving as a forum for identifying Georgia's specific health issues of greatest concern
Promoting cooperation from both public and private partners to test new and innovative strategies

OHSC also advises the Governor on healthcare policy issues. OHSC also works on other specific healthcare related projects and issues for the State of Georgia.

The All-Payer Claims Database Advisory Committee is established within OHSC.

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OHSC

About the Office of Health Strategy and Coordination

The purpose of OHSC is to share healthcare information and coordinate strategic healthcare policy between state agencies, healthcare providers, and the public, and to develop innovative approaches for lowering health costs while improving access to quality healthcare. Additionally, House Bill 1013 assigned OHSC the responsibility of overseeing the coordination of mental health policy and behavioral health services across state agencies.

The powers and duties of OHSC include:

Facilitating collaboration and coordination between state agencies
Coordinating health functions and outcomes, including mental health services
Serving as a forum for identifying Georgia's specific health issues of greatest concern
Promoting cooperation from both public and private partners to test new and innovative strategies

OHSC also advises the Governor on healthcare policy issues. OHSC also works on other specific healthcare related projects and issues for the State of Georgia.

The All-Payer Claims Database Advisory Committee is established within OHSC.

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About OHSC

Georgia All-Payer Claims Database (APCD)

New APCD Website is Available

A new APCD website is now live! Please visit https://apcd.georgia.gov.

Medicaid and State Health Benefit Plan

As part of OHSC's role in coordinating the healthcare delivery system in the State, OHSC reviews existing policies, pilot programs, rules, regulations, and contracts, specifically those related to the State's Medicaid program, PeachCare for Kids, and the State Health Benefit Plan.

Recommendations to the Department of Community Health on State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) contracts:

Full Recommendations Report

Recommendations to the Department of Community Health on Medicaid managed care contracts:

Recommendations for the Medicaid Delivery System for Children in State Custody including those with Complex Needs Ages 18-21:

Recommendations to the Department of Community Health on the implementation of the Georgia Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Incentive Payment Program:

Medicaid Redeterminations

Public Health Emergency Unwinding

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in March 2020, which allowed continuous coverage for Medicaid members during the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE). The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA) ended continuous Medicaid coverage related to the PHE on March 31, 2023. The CAA of 2023 requires every state to begin the Medicaid Redeterminations process by no later than April 1, 2023 and complete the redeterminations within 14 months (all renewals must be initiated by March 31, 2024).

Medicaid Redeterminations

A Medicaid redetermination is the review of an existing member’s continued eligibility. Generally, both Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® require renewals every 12 months. However, with continuous coverage for the duration of the PHE, no redeterminations have been made since 2020.

With the ending of the PHE, the Georgia Department of Human Services is required to begin redeterminations for approximately 2.7 million Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids® members over the next 14 months, beginning on April 1, 2023. Every Georgia Medicaid member must respond to requests for required information in a timely manner. If a Medicaid member is still eligible, their coverage will be renewed.

Resources and Materials:

Georgia PHE Unwinding and Medicaid Redeterminations Readiness Assessment and Recommendations Report

Georgia PHE Unwinding and Medicaid Redeterminations Readiness Assessment and Recommendations Presentation

Georgia Medicaid Redeterminations Plan

Georgia Medicaid Redeterminations Website

Mental Health Initiatives

House Bill 1013, passed and signed into law in 2022, expanded OHSC's role in overseeing the coordination of mental health policy and behavioral health services across state agencies. Specifically, OHSC is tasked with developing and recommending solutions to systemic barriers or problems impeding the delivery of behavioral health services and with establishing specific goals designed to improve behavioral healthcare access, quality, and outcomes.

OHSC is currently working on the following initiatives related to mental health:

Mental Health Reform Action Plan: OHSC partnered with Accenture to create the Mental Health Reform Action Plan in 2021 for implementation of the recommendations included in the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission's (BHRIC) first year report.
Prescription Drugs: House Bill (HB) 1013 tasked OHSC with developing recommendations for a unified Preferred Drug List (PDL) for mental health and substance use disorder prescriptions covered by Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids and a unified formulary for mental health and substance use disorder prescriptions covered by the State Health Benefit Plan.
- OHSC Unified Drug List Study for Medicaid and SHBP
- OHSC Unified Drug List Study for Medicaid and SHBP Appendices
Emergency Transportation: HB 1013 tasked OHSC with conducting a survey or study on the transport of individuals to and from emergency receiving, evaluation, and treatment facilities (ERETs). OHSC has partnered with the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government to conduct this study.

Additional resources:

Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission

The Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, created pursuant to House Bill 514 during the 2019 Georgia Legislative Session, is charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the behavioral health system in Georgia to include:

Behavioral health services and facilities in the state;
Identification of behavioral health issues in children, adolescents, and adults;
The role the educational system has in the identification and treatment of behavioral health issues;
The impact behavioral health issues have on the court system and correctional system;
Legal and systemic barriers to treatment of mental illnesses;
Workforce shortages that impact delivery of care;
Whether there is sufficient access to behavioral health services and supports and the roles of payers in such access;
The impact on how untreated behavioral illness can impact children into adulthood;
The need for aftercare for persons exiting the criminal justice system; and
The impact of behavioral illness on the state's population.

Reports and materials:

The commission contains five subcommittees: Children and Adolescent Behavioral Health; Involuntary Commitment; Hospital and Short-Term Care Facilites; Mental Health Courts and Corrections; and Workforce and System Development.

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BHRIC

State Agency Partners

State Agency Partners: