Effective January 2022, restrictions on admissions of Medicaid patients aged 22 and 64 to Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) facilities will be greatly reduced.  (IMDs are free-standing psychiatric hospitals, including Sheppard Pratt and Brook Lane.) New guidelines went into effect on December 17. Acute hospital psychiatric units and Emergency Departments can now transfer an individual for admission directly to an inpatient psychiatric IMD. The referring facility is no longer required to attempt and fail to transfer to other psychiatric units in acute/general hospitals.  This change will improve access and reduce holding time for those individuals best treated in a psychiatric facility.  Click here for details.

1/13/22 update:

A presentation on the IMD changes is now available on the commission website https://governor.maryland.gov/ltgovernor/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/01/01.11.22-IMD-Slides.pptx.pdf.  To watch a recording of the commission meeting, including the slide presentation, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLYUtHxuj7k.