In a recent acknowledgment of past missteps, Ramsey County has publicly addressed inaccuracies within their billing practices for mental health crisis services. These issues were first brought to light by a data request from Fox 9 in May, which led to a series of admissions from the county regarding the miscommunication of fee requirements and billing processes for their mental health crisis support services.
This saga of missteps unfolded during a period marked by significant changes within the county's Health and Wellness Service Team and Social Services. Officials have since taken responsibility, saying, "We believe in acknowledging our mistakes and take community feedback very seriously." A report from Ramsey County's official site clarified that the misinformation included falsely telling the reporter that charging fees was a federally mandated requirement, and erroneously stating that the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) required the county to bill for these services.
Originally, as misreported, it was believed that the federal government mandated the billing of patients for the mobile crisis response service. However, it was later confirmed that this was not the case, and Ramsey County conveyed this corrected information to the reporting party. Furthermore, the county's online fee schedule, at the time lacking the fees for mobile crisis response that the board approved in August 2023, has been revised for accuracy.
The fallout from the Fox 9 report has prompted a number of remedial actions. The county has endeavored to directly address community concerns by adding "detailed information" on the sliding scale fee and payment plan options in an insert to all invoices. Moreover, an update to their website now clarifies the "fee and payment options for crisis services," ensuring that residents fully understand what financial assistance is available. Also, crisis staff answering calls will now share fee information upfront with callers.
All of these measures align with the county's mission to maintain equitable access to crucial mental health services, as they state, "We believe it is critical that this life saving service is available to all residents regardless of income." In line with this commitment, Ramsey County continues to reevaluate and improve their mental health and crisis response services.
