Wilenchik and Bartness is arguing a preliminary injunction to insure that health care providers are paid for emergency behavioral health services provided to medically indigent people in Maricopa County hospitals. The defendant, a private “behavioral health authority” employed by the State, has taken the position that it will not pay for emergency services in emergency departments, claiming a variety of reasons.
The firm just completed the evidentiary portion of a preliminary injunction hearing on behalf of its client. The case is a matter of great public importance because it involves enforcement of Medicaid/AHCCCS regulations governing emergency behavioral health care in hospital emergency departments. The defendant has taken the position that it will not pay for emergency services in emergency departments.