Section 3571Z - Annual behavioral health well check(a) As used in this section: (1) "Behavioral health well check" means a pre-deductible annual visit with a licensed mental health clinician with at minimum a masters level degree. The well check must include but is not limited to a review of medical history, evaluation of adverse childhood experiences, use of a group of developmentally appropriate mental health screening tools, and may include anticipatory behavioral health guidance congruent with stage of life using the diagnosis of "annual behavioral health well check."(2) "Carrier" means any entity that provides health insurance in this State that is subject to this subchapter. "Carrier" includes an insurance company, health service corporation, health maintenance organization, and any other entity providing a plan of health insurance or health benefits subject to state insurance regulation. "Carrier" also includes any third-party administrator or other entity that adjusts, administers, or settles claims in connection with health benefit plans.(b) All carriers shall provide coverage of an annual behavioral health well check, which, except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, shall be reimbursed through the following common procedural terminology (CPT) codes at the same rate that such CPT codes are reimbursed for the provision of other medical care, provided that reimbursement may be adjusted for payment of claims that are billed by a non-physician clinician so long as the methodology to determine such adjustments is comparable to and applied no more stringently than the methodology for adjustments made for reimbursement of claims billed by non-physician clinicians for other medical care, in accordance with 45 CFR 146.136(c)(4): (c)(1) The Commissioner shall update this list of codes through the promulgation of rules if the CPT codes listed in subsection (b) of this section are altered, amended, changed, deleted, or supplemented.(2) Reimbursement of any of the CPT codes listed in subsection (b) of this section or promulgated under paragraph (c)(1) of this section for the purpose of covering an annual behavioral health well check may not be denied because such CPT code was already reimbursed for the purpose of covering a service other than an annual behavioral health well check.(3) Reimbursement of any of the CPT codes listed in subsection (b) of this section or promulgated under paragraph (c)(1) of this section for the purpose of covering a service other than an annual behavioral health well check may not be denied because such CPT code was already reimbursed for the purpose of covering an annual behavioral health well check.(d) An annual behavioral health well check may be reimbursed through a value-based arrangement, a capitated arrangement, a bundled payment arrangement, or any other alternative payment arrangement that is not a traditional fee-for-service arrangement, provided that a carrier must have documentation demonstrating that within such payment arrangement the annual behavioral health well check is valued commensurate to the value established under subsection (b) of this section.(e) An annual behavioral health well check may be incorporated into and reimbursed within any type of integrated primary care service delivery method including, but not limited to, the psychiatric collaborative care model, the primary care behavioral health model or behavioral health consultant model, any model that involves co-location of mental health professionals within general medical settings, or any other integrated care model that focuses on the delivery of primary care.(f) Nothing in this section prevents the operation of policy provisions such as copayments, coinsurance, allowable charge limitations, coordination of benefits, or provisions restricting coverage to services rendered by licensed, certified, or carrier-approved providers or facilities.Added by Laws 2021 , ch. 388, s 2, eff. 1/1/2024.