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H 2363

An Act directing the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to study the feasibility of incentivizing inpatient psychiatric hospitals to admit patients directly from community behavioral health centers

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Bruce Ayers

The bill tasks the DPH with studying whether incentives can persuade inpatient psychiatric hospitals to admit patients directly from community behavioral health centers, with a rep

Reporting date extended to Friday, July 31, 2026
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Bill Summary · H 2363

Summary of Massachusetts House Bill H.2363 (2025)

Title

An Act directing the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to study the feasibility of incentivizing inpatient psychiatric hospitals to admit patients directly from community behavioral health centers.

Purpose and Intent

  • Directs the Department of Public Health (DPH) to commission a study evaluating whether inpatient psychiatric hospitals can be incentivized to admit patients directly from community behavioral health centers (CBHCs).
  • The goal is to assess the feasibility of such incentives and to make recommendations on how any incentives could be implemented.

Key Provisions

  • Section 1: DPH shall commission a study on admissions of patients to inpatient psychiatric hospitals directly from CBHCs, with a focus on the feasibility of offering incentives to inpatient psychiatric hospitals to accept patients admitted directly from CBHCs.
  • Section 2: DPH shall file a report detailing findings on feasibility and any recommendations for implementing incentives, with the clerks of the House and Senate and the Joint Committee on Public Health no later than January 1, 2027.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health (responsible for conducting the study and reporting).
  • Inpatient psychiatric hospitals (potential recipients of any incentives evaluated).
  • Community behavioral health centers (providers that would potentially direct admissions to inpatient facilities).
  • Patients and families interacting with CBHCs and inpatient psychiatric services (indirectly affected through potential changes in admission pathways and incentives).

Status and Procedural History

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025 (House Bill 2363, petition by Rep. Bruce J. Ayers).
  • Initial Referral: Referred to the Committee on Public Health (February 27, 2025).
  • Hearing: Scheduled for July 10, 2025 (within the 2025 session schedule).
  • Committee Action: Reported favorably by committee and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing (October 16, 2025).
  • Related Legislation: Similar matter previously filed in the 2023-2024 session as House Bill 3604 (HD 3604).

Timeline / Deadlines

  • Final study report due: January 1, 2027, to the clerks of the House and Senate and the Joint Committee on Public Health.

Fiscal and Implementation Considerations

  • The bill is a directive to study feasibility and propose potential incentives; it does not specify funding or create new programs at this time.
  • Any recommended incentives and their funding would require future legislative action or agency decisions based on the DPH study findings.

Summary

H.2363 seeks to explore whether incentives could be used to encourage inpatient psychiatric hospitals to admit patients directly from community behavioral health centers, via a DPH-conducted study with a formal report due by January 1, 2027. The bill progresses through the public health and health care financing committees and builds on a prior related measure from the previous session.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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