Regulatory Updates
Maryland behavioral health, in plain English
A curated feed of announcements from BHA, OHCQ, COMAR, and Carelon — summarized so you know what's changing and what to do next.
Looking for educational guides? Visit ResourcesSource
Category
COMAR 10.63 Notice of Proposed Action: Major Rewrite of Community-Based Behavioral Health Regulations
The Maryland Department of Health has issued a Notice of Proposed Action (NOPA) substantially revising COMAR 10.63 — the chapter that governs all community-based behavioral health programs in Maryland. The proposed text touches licensing, governance, staffing, participant records, residential safety, integrated behavioral health programs, and seclusion and restraint. Programs should read the full reg text now and start identifying internal policies, job descriptions, and compliance documents that will need updating once the regulation is finalized.
Carelon Maryland Provider Payments Moving from PaySpan to Zelis — Effective June 12, 2026
Zelis has acquired PaySpan, and starting June 12, 2026 all Carelon Maryland provider payments will move to the Zelis Advanced Payment Platform (ZAPP). Practices that aren't already enrolled with Zelis need to register through the Carelon ePayment Center before that date. If you miss the deadline, payments will temporarily fall back to paper checks until registration is completed.
BHA Releases 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Resources for Maryland Providers
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is Maryland's 24/7 confidential call, text, and chat service for mental health, emotional distress, substance use, and suicide-related crises, with dedicated routing for Veterans (press 1) and Spanish speakers (press 2). BHA is asking behavioral health providers to embed 988 in client-facing materials — intake paperwork, safety plans, discharge plans, posters, and email signatures — so clients always have an after-hours resource. Sharing 988 broadly is one of the simplest ways your practice can extend support beyond business hours.