The continuum of care within the CSB system is vital to quality care for all the folks we serve, especially those who must go into the hospital.  The BHSA does not, and cannot, have a case manager and other staff fully informed about the individual in the way a CSB can.  I would advocate for the removal of BHSA being approved as a pre-screener. 

The BHSA, as a contractor with DMAS, has a financial interest in keeping individuals out of the hospital and, from a risk management point of view, there appears to a conflict of interest.  This could also become a slippery slope in the direction of having a for-profit agency that is invested financially in the outcome be a primary decision maker (pre-screener) determining whether an individual should be hospitalized or not.