CMS Releases Final Physician Fee Schedule and OPPS Rules for 2023 

Telehealth services authorized temporarily during the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) will extend through at least 2023 and for at least 151 days after the PHE ends, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in the agency’s final 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) this week.

CMS’ decision to extend the telehealth services benefit will allow for additional data collection to evaluate a possible permanent addition as a Medicare benefit.

CMS issued the regulation on the same day it released the final Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) rule for next year. In that regulation, CMS implemented a 4.1% payment increase for outpatient facilities in 2023. Please read below for additional details about the final regulations.

2023 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule:
The PFS final rule directs CMS to implement an approximately 4.5-percent reduction—reflecting a decrease of $1.55— in the conversion factor, which the agency uses to calculate payments for physicians and the other clinicians paid under the PFS.

CMS also updated the payment amount for the drug component of the opioid treatment bundle using the Producer Price Index (PPI) for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and will do so annually to account for inflation. CMS will also modify the payment rate for the non-drug bundle to base the rate on a 45-minute –rather than a 30-minute—session, which better comports with OTP practices.

Under the final rule, OTPs may also use audio-visual and audio-only telehealth for buprenorphine intake if the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) grant permission. Also pending authorization from SAMHSA and DEA, OTPs may furnish periodic assessments via audio-only when video is not available for the duration of 2023.

CMS also made final billing for mobile units in accordance with SAMHSA and DEA guidance. Locality adjustments will be applied and based on the location of the OTP hub.

Meanwhile, the PFS final rule implements an exception to supervision requirements to allow marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors, addiction counselors, certified peer recovery specialists, and others to provide behavioral healthcare services while under general supervision, rather than “direct” supervision. This means practitioners now will be able to provide services without requiring that a physician or nurse practitioner be present on site.

Responding to comments from the behavioral healthcare field, CMS also made final a new behavioral health integration service that a clinical psychologist or clinical social worker can perform when mental health services are the focal point of care integration, along with allowing a psychiatric diagnostic evaluation to initiate such integration services.

CMS also made final several provisions related to accountable care organizations to grow participation in the program, incorporate recent lessons related to episode payment approaches, and advance equity among program participants.

Outpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule:
Although the 4.1% payment increase for outpatient services is larger than CMS had proposed, NABH does not consider this payment update adequate to address the intense cost pressures—stemming from considerable increases in labor, supplies, equipment, drugs, and other expenses—that the association had highlighted.

Regarding payments for 340B hospitals, the final OPPS rule ends the cuts that the U.S. Supreme Court found to be unlawful. Per the high court’s ruling, 340B payments in 2023 will return to pre-2018 levels: the average sale price plus 6% with an offsetting reduction to make the measure budget neutral, as required by law. The final rule falls short of reimbursing 340B payment cuts from previous years. NABH expects additional 340B rules from CMS by the summer of 2023.

Both the PFS and OPPS final rules will take effect Jan. 1, 2023.

NABH and Other Organizations Urge Federal Appropriators to Include Behavioral Health Funding in Continuing Resolution

NABH and a dozen other behavioral health organizations on Friday send a letter to House and Senate appropriators requesting that federal lawmakers include appropriate funding levels for behavioral health treatment in the upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the federal government operating.

Specifically, NABH and the other organizations—including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, Mental Health America, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors— requested that Congress include $1.42 billion for the Community Mental Health Block Grant (MHGB), including a 10% set-aside for mental health crisis services within the MHGB; $60 million to expand the Mental Health Crisis Response Partnership Pilot Program; $747 million for the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline, including $30 million to provide specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth; $400 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; and $10 million for the Behavioral Health Crisis 988 Coordinating Office.

“Additional federal investments are needed to strengthen the 988 system to transform how our country responds to people in crisis,” the organizations wrote in the letter. “A continuing resolution of any length threatens our ability to meet the high and growing need for behavioral health treatment and care.”

SAMHSA to Host Webinar About CCBHC Certification Criteria Next Week

SAMHSA will host a webinar open to the public next Wednesday, Nov. 9 regarding updates to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) certification criteria.

SAMHSA will provide a brief overview of CCBHCs, describe key elements of certification criteria and SAMHSA’s process for soliciting feedback from the field, and discuss how the public can provide feedback.

The Zoom webinar will begin at 4 p.m. ET. The meeting ID is 160 306 8999 and the passcode is 160547.

SAMHSA Names Jennifer Fan as Director of Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

SAMHSA this week named Capt. Jennifer Fan, Pharm.D., J.D. as the acting director of the agency’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).

A commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, Fan served in SAMHSA from 2007 through 2021 in several roles, including acting CSAP deputy director, special assistant for the CSAP director, and CSAP’s subject matter expert on opioids and prescription drug misuse. She also served as the senior editor for the Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids Report and helped to create SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs (SPF Rx) grants and the Grants to Prevent Prescription Drug/Opioid Overdose-Related Deaths (PDO).

Fan earned her doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

SAMHSA Introduces ‘Screen 4 Success’ to Help Parents and Caregivers Understand Wellbeing of Children

SAMHSA recently announced Screen4Success, a new screening tool from the agency’s “Talk. They Hear You.” national prevention campaign that can help parents and caregivers better understand children’s health, wellness, and wellbeing, and find resources to address needs.

Parents and caregivers can access the new tool on mobile devices through the Talk. They Hear You. campaign mobile app, which is available for free on the App Store, Google Play, and Microsoft store.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

Fifty-three percent of those polled said the new 988 behavioral health crisis hotline will be effective to keep people in crisis out of jail, with Black (64%) and Hispanic (54%) adults more optimistic, the American Psychiatric Association reports.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

GAO Report Identifies Challenges and Opportunities to Recruit and Retain Behavioral Health Workforce

Financial, educational, and workplace challenges are three categories that pose the greatest challenges to recruiting and retaining behavioral health providers, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in a new report.

The GAO was assigned to review what is known about the behavioral health workforce, offer information regarding both barriers to and incentives for recruiting and retaining providers, and identify what actions various U.S. Health and Human Services department (HHS) agencies are taking to recruit and retain these providers. In its comprehensive review, the GAO interviewed NABH staff as a stakeholder group.

“Reimbursement rates and compensation for behavioral health services are low, according to stakeholders from multiple research organizations and behavioral health associations,” the report noted, adding that many programs designed to recruit diverse behavioral health providers only benefit individuals already studying in a behavioral health field and do not address the lack of a pipeline for underserved populations to enter the workforce.

The GAO recommended that incentives such as loan repayment and scholarships for students seeking behavioral healthcare professions could help to address some of the barriers to entering the field.

Learn more in highlights from the study and the full report.

HHS and U.S. Surgeon General’s Office to Host Mental Health Briefing Monday, Oct. 31

HHS and the U.S. Surgeon General’s office will host a briefing on Monday, Oct. 31 to discuss the Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-being, which will outline the foundational role that workplaces should play in promoting the health and well-being of workers and communities.

The briefing will highlight the five essentials for workplace mental health and is intended to help organizations develop, institutionalize, and update policies, processes, and practices that best support the mental health and well-being of all workers.

Click here to register for the 30-minute briefing, which will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Commonwealth Fund Study Examines How Changing Opioid Addiction Treatment Delivery Could Reduce Death and Suffering

A new study from the Commonwealth Fund analyzes how government regulation and inadequate treatment capacity can limit patients’ access to lifesaving care and what policymakers could do to help combat opioid addiction.

According to the report’s findings, opioids are involved in almost 75% of overdose deaths in the United States, which claim more than 100,000 lives per year. But while opioid addiction can be treated with effective medications, only 10% to 15% of U.S. residents with opioid use disorder receive them.

“During Covid-19, the federal government showed flexibility by allowing OTPs (opioid treatment programs) to provide more take-home methadone doses, allowing buprenorphine treatment initiation via telehealth, and removing buprenorphine waiver training requirements for providers treating 30 or fewer patients,” the report noted. “Data indicate that methadone take-home flexibilities have not been associated with worse outcomes or significant misuse, and telehealth services have been associated with improved medication retention and lower overdose risk,” it continued. “Some of these provisions are temporary and could sunset or change after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.”

CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure to Host Webinar Next Week on CMS’ Strategic Plan

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and her leadership team will provide an update on the agency’s strategic plan next Tuesday, Nov. 1.
This is the agency’s fourth national stakeholder call with the administrator this year, and it’s intended to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to learn how they can partner with CMS to implement the agency’s strategic plan.

The hourlong call will begin next Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

SAMHSA to Host Behavioral Health Services Information Virtual Workshop on Nov. 2

SAMHSA will host a virtual workshop next week to help providers learn how to access the agency’s available data on Behavioral Health Services Information System (BHSIS) and online treatment locator.

Herman Alvarado, a supervisory social science analyst at SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, will provide an overview for participants. The event is intended to provide technical assistance to National Network to Eliminate in Behavioral Health (NNED) members and minority-service and under-resourced community-based organizations.

The 90-minute virtual workshop will begin at 3 p.m. next Wednesday, Nov. 2. Click here to register.

NIH’s HEAL Initiative Highlights Examples of Successful Programs to Prevent and Treatment Opioid Misuse and Addiction

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term, or HEAL, initiative— a trans-NIH research effort focused on improving prevention and treatment for opioid misuse and addiction and enhancing pain management—recently released examples of programs that have helped some of the youngest patients battling opioid misuse or addiction.

HEAL funds more than 1,000 research projects in every U.S. state and is a $2.5 billion effort that has grown substantially this year, adding 10 new programs and more than 200 new projects that are seeking scientific solutions to prevent overdose and connect people to treatment for pain and addiction.

Click here to learn about some innovative programs related to mobile apps.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting! 

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

By 2030, HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimates a 20% decrease in the supply of adult psychiatrists to 27,020, while the agency estimates a 22% increase in the supply of child and adolescent psychiatrists to 9,830.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

MHA Releases ‘State of Mental Health in America’ Report for 2023

More than 50 million Americans experienced a mental illness between 2019 and 2020, while more than one in 10 youth in the United States experience depression that is severely impairing their ability to function at school or work, at home, with family, or in their social life, according to a new report from Mental Health America (MHA).

The State of Mental Health in America is a nearly 40-page chartbook that provides a baseline to answer some questions about how many people in America need and have access to mental health services. The report is a companion piece to interactive data available on MHA’s website.

Using publicly available data from the 50 states and Washington, D.C., MHA used a set of 15 measures, such as adults with any mental illness, adults with thoughts of suicide, and youth with substance use disorder in the last year. MHA noted that the Covid-19 pandemic negatively affected the ability to collect data for national surveillance in 2020; consequently, the indicators in this year’s report cannot be compared with previous years.

The findings also reported that the majority of individuals with a substance use disorder in the U.S. are not receiving treatment, and that there are about 350 individuals for every one mental healthcare provider in the United States.

SAMHSA Announces $15 Million in Early 2023 for CCBHCs

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this week announced it will award $15 million early next year to expand access to planning grants for certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) to all 50 states.

This funding—along with the $300 million that SAMHSA awarded in September for both new and existing CCBHCs—comes from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that President Biden signed in June.

CMS Releases FAQs About Medicaid and CHIP Determinations and Renewals After PHE Ends

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Oct. 17 answers to frequently asked questions about the agency’s March 2022 guidance to states regarding planning efforts to resume Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility determinations and renewals after the Covid-19 public health emergency ends.

The FAQs address the unwinding period, renewals and changes in circumstances, non-MAGI ex parte renewals, section 1902(e)(14)(A) waivers, premiums, fraud, and more.

New Reports Examine Telehealth Laws & Medicaid Policies and Trauma & Recovery for Youth

The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) this week released its Fall 2022 summary of telehealth laws and Medicaid program policies, which allows users to export data for each state into a PDF document. CCHP provides bi-annual summary reports to provide a snapshot of the progress made in the past six months.

Also this week, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network released A Trauma-Informed Guide for Working with Youth in Multiple Settings, which is intended for people who work with youth involved in multiple systems (YIMS) and their families to use a traumatic stress perspective and provide trauma-informed care.

The report defines YIMS as children and adolescents who are under the care or supervision of multiple child and family-serving systems. They include “crossover youth” or “dually involved youth” who are involved in child welfare (CW) and in the juvenile justice (JJ) system. In addition to CW and JJ involvement, YIMS are also often simultaneously involved in an array of other service systems including immigration, legal, education, family services, physical and behavioral health systems and systems designed to serve those with developmental disabilities or who experience homelessness.

Register Today for Oct. 27 Webinar on CPT Coding and Billing Changes for Mental Health in 2023

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association will host a webinar about what to expect in CPT coding and billing changes for mental health in 2023 on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Stephen Gillaspy, Ph.D., senior director of health and healthcare financing at the American Psychological Association, will lead the presentation about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed changes outlined in the agency’s 2023 physician fee schedule proposed rule.

The webinar will focus on new CPT codes and changes to existing codes, expanding the outpatient Evaluation and Management (E/M) documentation guidelines to the facility setting, and other CMS proposals, such as “incident to” billing that, if implemented, will have a significant effect on mental and behavioral clinicians beginning Jan.  1, 2023.

The hourlong webinar will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.
The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

More seniors in 2022 (28%) than in 2021 (20%) said the cost of care affected their ability to seek treatment for a mental health condition, according to a survey of seniors that the Pan Foundation conducted in May 2022.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH 2023 Board Position Nominations Due Today!

The deadline to submit nominations for the 2023 NABH Board Chair-Elect and two available NABH Board seats is today, Friday, Oct. 14.

The NABH Selection Committee is seeking senior managers who represent the association’s diverse membership related to levels of care, organizational structures, and size.

Please download a nomination form to recommend individuals for the single-slate ballot in 2023. Also, please attach a curriculum vitae (CV) for every individual you recommend. This will help the Selection Committee in its deliberations. All NABH members are welcome to suggest themselves.

Please return this form and candidates’ curricula vitae by Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, to maria@nabh.org.

Becerra Extends Covid-19 PHE for Another 90 Days

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday renewed the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) for an additional 90 days.

Former HHS Secretary Alex Azar declared the Covid-19 PHE for the first time in January 2020 Since then, it has been renewed—either by Azar or Becerra— 10 times, making this week’s announcement the 11^th renewal.

Bipartisan Policy Center Recommends Extending Medicare Telehealth Benefits for Two Years Post Pandemic

Congress and the Biden administration should extend most of the Medicare program’s telehealth flexibilities for beneficiaries for two years after the Covid-19 pandemic ends and then evaluate the effects, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recommended in a report released this week. And that’s for a start.

The report—totaling more than 80 pages—also concluded that researchers should evaluate the benefits of hybrid (both in-person and virtual) care models for primary and specialty care, including for which conditions and specialties it is most effective; further evaluate full telehealth flexibilities in the context of value-based payment models; and assess rigorously the quality of audio-only care.

“Throughout this report, BPC recommends targeted adjustments to the current telehealth flexibilities; all recommended changes are in response to emerging evidence on benefits versus risks and to stakeholder concerns,” the researchers noted. “This approach would enable beneficiaries to maintain their access to telehealth services while minimizing risks to patients and the Medicare program, as well as provide time for policymakers to continue to review and assess the evidence.”

ONDCP to Host Webinar About Low-Threshold Buprenorphine on Monday, Oct. 17

The White Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will host a webinar on Monday, Oct. 17 to examine low-threshold buprenorphine programs, which seek to reduce barriers that often limit access or reduce retention in care.

ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta, M.D. will welcome participants to the webinar, which will feature evidence from experts in the field and include a panel discussion about policy and practice.

The webinar will be held from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

Register Today for Webinar on CPT Coding and Billing Changes for Mental Health in 2023

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association will host a webinar about what to expect in CPT coding and billing changes for mental health in 2023 on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Stephen Gillaspy, Ph.D., senior director of health and healthcare financing at the American Psychological Association, will lead the presentation about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed changes outlined in the agency’s 2023 physician fee schedule proposed rule.

The webinar will focus on new CPT codes and changes to existing codes, expanding the outpatient Evaluation and Management (E/M) documentation guidelines to the facility setting, and other CMS proposals, such as “incident to” billing that, if implemented, will have a significant effect on mental and behavioral clinicians beginning Jan.  1, 2023.

The hourlong webinar will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

JAMA Pediatrics Examines Continued Rise of Unintentional Ingestion of Edible Cannabis in Toddlers

An analysis in JAMA Pediatrics this week concluded that immediate action should be taken to alter the current trajectory of unintentional pediatric ingestion of edible cannabis products.

The article noted that cannabis is the third most used psychoactive substance worldwide, with use continuously rising in the U.S. adult population. Meanwhile, cannabis products are used commonly and stored in homes in which children are present and education from healthcare professionals about safe storage is lacking, the article continued. Consequently, children are at risk of being drawn to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive compound of marijuana)-infused products that resemble their favorite snacks or candy.

“Children with THC intoxication can present with neurologic impairment, including lethargy, ataxia, tachycardia, mydriasis, seizures, altered mental status, and hypotonia,” the article said. “However, given the unpredictability of the dose ingested, patient presentation can vary. Altered mental status in children results in broad differential diagnoses ranging from traumatic to infectious causes.”

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

A 2016 parent survey shows 64% of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had at least one other mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. October is ADHD Awareness Month. Help the National Institute of Mental Health raise awareness by sharing these resources.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Seeking Candidates for 2023 Board Positions

The NABH Selection Committee is seeking nominations to fill the NABH Board Chair-Elect and two NABH Board seats that will become available in 2023.

In particular, the committee wants to identify senior managers who represent the association’s diverse membership related to levels of care, organizational structures, and size.

Please download a nomination form to recommend individuals for the single-slate ballot in 2023. Please attach a curriculum vitae (CV) for every individual you recommend. This will help the Selection Committee in its deliberations. All NABH members are welcome to suggest themselves.

Please return this form and candidates’ curricula vitae by Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, to maria@nabh.org.

Harris Poll Shows Strong Public Support for Mental Health and Uncertainty on How to Help

Two in three U.S. adults say they believe they don’t have enough knowledge to tell if someone is considering suicide, while eight in 10 adults say they are open to learning how to help someone in need, according to a Harris Poll survey released this week.

Since 2015, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) have commissioned the Harris Poll to conduct bi-annual, nationally representative survey of adults in the United States to understand the public’s beliefs and attitudes about mental health and suicide. The survey evaluates what the public knows about to support someone who is struggling and their perceptions of barriers to help those at risk for suicide.

This latest poll offers an early read on public awareness of 988, the national behavioral health crisis hotline that launched in July. Researchers found that while gains have been made in valuing mental health, there is not consistent societal support for mental healthcare.

The findings show that 76% of Americans surveyed said they perceive mental health as equal to physical health, while 51% said they feel that physical health is treated as more important of the two. Meanwhile, 67% of those surveyed said they believe they have had a mental health condition at some point in their lives, up from 60% who said so in 2018 and 57% in 2018.

“Overall, the poll indicates that progress has been made, but there is more to do,” the report noted. “We must continue to learn more about suicide and mental health particularly through increased research efforts, teach everyone how to help prevent suicide and strengthen mental health, and advocate for improved access to care and robust crisis services.”

ONDCP to Host Webinar About Low-Threshold Buprenorphine on Oct. 17

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) will host a webinar on Monday, Oct. 17 to examine low-threshold buprenorphine programs, which seek to reduce barriers that often limit access or reduce retention in care.

ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta, M.D. will welcome participants to the webinar, which will feature evidence from experts in the field and include a panel discussion about policy and practice.

The webinar will be held from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

HRSA Previews Behavioral Health Training Opportunities for Primary Care Residents

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this week announced a funding opportunity totaling nearly $60 million during a five-year period to support training to expand the public health workforce.

The new program will train primary care residents in the prevention, identification, diagnosis, treatment, and referral of services for mental and behavioral health conditions. It is intended to benefit pediatric, adolescent, young adult, and other populations who are at-risk or have experienced abuse, trauma, or mental health and/or substance use disorders, including those related to the effects of gun violence.

According to HRSA, awards will support both classroom training and clinical rotations that focus on mental and behavioral health conditions. Eligible entities include accredited public or not-for-profit private hospitals; schools of allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine; residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics or combined internal medicine and pediatrics (“med-peds”); and tribes and tribal organizations, if otherwise eligible.

Click here to be notified when this funding opportunity opens.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

A Harris Poll survey released this week found that more than half of adults in the United States say seeing a mental health professional is a sign of strength.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

House to Vote Friday on Senate-Approved Stopgap Spending Measure

The House of Representatives is expected to vote Friday on the short-term spending bill the Senate approved Thursday to avert a federal government shutdown and increase aid to Ukraine.

Included in the legislation is a provision to continue funding the national 988 behavioral crisis hotline through Sept. 30, 2023, for which Congress has appropriated $62,000,000.

TODAY: SAMHSA to Moderate Recovery Month Panel at 1:15 p.m. ET

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Coderre of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will moderate a panel discussion at 1:15 p.m. ET today, Friday, Sept. 30, the last day of National Recovery Month.

Titled “Making Small Choices, Every Day,” the event will feature panelists who will discuss their recovery experiences while sharing success stories and providing hope that recovery is possible. The panel will address seeking treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders, overcoming challenges such as stigma, and helping the public understand the importance of helping those in recovery.

SAMHSA will livestream the event on the agency’s Facebook page.

House Passes Bill to Bolster Mental Health Parity Protections for Workers

The House earlier this week passed the Mental Health Matters Act of 2022, a bill intended to hold employer-based health plans more accountable for inappropriate denials of mental health and substance use benefits.

The legislation would give the U.S. Labor Department more authority to enforce plan requirements under the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It also would ban forced arbitration agreements when plans deny benefits improperly, and ensure a fair standard of review from the courts.

Before the bill passed, the White House released a Statement of Administrative Policy supporting the legislation. The White House noted that the Mental Health Matters Act also would improve the well-being of young children in Head Start and K-12 schools by building on President Biden’s efforts to increase the number of school-based mental health services providers, as well as authorizing grants to partnerships between high-need, local educational agencies, and institutions of higher education.

NABH will continue to track developments related to this bill.

CMS Releases Latest Enrollment Figures for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released the agency’s latest enrollment figures for Medicare, Medicaid & the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the health insurance marketplaces, reporting that 156.5 million Americans have coverage in these federal health insurance programs.

According to the latest figures, there are 89.4 million enrollees in Medicaid and CHIP, 64.6 million enrollees in Medicare, and 14.5 million people enrolled in state-based and federal health insurance marketplaces. The agency reported a subtotal figure of 168.5 million enrollees, which CMS then adjusted by subtracting 12 million to account for Americans who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Click here for a breakdown of the individual programs.

Former ONDCP Leaders Pen Opinion Piece on Increasing Recovery Services

On this last day of National Recovery Month, two former leaders at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy wrote an opinion piece in The Hill newspaper to call for more training in addiction science and policymaking.

In their blog, former ONDCP Director Michael Botticelli and Regina LaBelle, a former acting director at ONDCP and director of the Addiction and Public Policy Initiative at the Georgetown University Law Center’s O’Neill Institute, recognized the role that people in recovery play by building healthier communities. They also emphasized the need to remove barriers to healthcare, housing, and employment and education, including modifying the regulatory hurdles that reduce access to methadone.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

Early intervention in psychosis programs contributed to, on average, 3.2 fewer hospitalizations and 2.7 more years employed during the course of patients’ lives compared with individuals with the same diagnosis who received standard care, according to a study published in Psychiatric Services.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond

Biden Administration Announces More Than $1.6 Billion for Communities to Address Addiction & Overdose Crises

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) on Friday announced it will award more than $1.6 billion in investments to communities nationwide to address America’s addiction and overdose crises.

Funding will come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) State Opioid Response (SOR) program and Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) grant program and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) rural communities’ opioid response programs.
 
“I have heard many stories of despair from individuals battling addiction and from families who have lost loved ones to overdose,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the grant announcement. “Through these grants, we are investing in evidence-based supports and services for individuals, families, and communities on the road to recovery.”

Click here to learn about the four individual grant opportunities.

Covid-19 PHE Will Likely Be Extended Due to Absence of 60-Day Termination Notice from HHS

The Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) will most likely be extended for another 90 days after the PHE’s current Oct. 13, 2022 expiration date because HHS has not given states 60 days’ notice before termination.

In January 2021, HHS’s Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR0 sent a letter to the nation’s governors outlining the commitment to a 60-day, PHE termination notice. HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Sarah Lovenheim posted a message on Twitter this past Monday, Sept. 19, that assured states and providers there will be at least two months’ notice before the PHE is allowed to expire.

NABH will notify members about any updates related to the PHE’s end date.

National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare to Host Sept. 27 Webinar on Contingency Management

SAMHSA announced this week that the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare will host a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 29 that highlights how contingency management can help families affected by substance use disorders.

The webinar will provide an overview of contingency management, including details about implementation with different cultural populations. It will also show how Montefiore Medical Center in New York, a Regional Partnership Grant awardee, has implemented contingency management, and provide practical strategies for implementation.

The webinar will begin next Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

NIH-Led Study Shows Heart Medication Could Be Effective for Alcohol Use Disorder

A medication to treat heart problems and high blood pressure may also be effective for treating alcohol use disorder, according to a new study from researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Molecular Psychiatry.

The research shows evidence from experiments in mice and rats—as well as a cohort study in humans—that suggests the medication spironolactone could play a role in reducing alcohol drinking. Researchers from the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, as well as from the Yale School of Medicine, produced the study.

“Combining findings across three species and different types of research studies, and then seeing similarities in those data, gives us confidence that we are onto something potentially important scientifically and clinically,” Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the clinical psychoneuroendocrinology and neuropsychopharmacology section, a joint laboratory of NIDA and NIAAA, and one of the senior authors, said in an announcement about the research. “These findings support further study of spironolactone as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder, a medical condition that affects millions of people in the U.S.”

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

Prenatal cannabis exposure following the middle of the first trimester is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems in children that persist into early adolescence, according to a recent study in JAMA Pediatrics based on research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

NABH Annual Membership Updates Are Due Today, Sept. 16!

Today, Friday, Sept. 16, is the deadline for members to submit changes about their organizations for the online-only NABH 2022 Membership Directory.
Last month NABH sent its system members a message with a link to the association’s membership-update tool. To help ensure we have the most accurate information on our members, please use this tool to verify your system’s information.

NABH has added several new categories this year. The answers to these questions will help us provide a more accurate description of our diverse membership to policymakers, regulators, partner organizations, and the media. Please be sure to enter information for all your system’s facilities so that we have a better picture of our diverse membership.

If you need NABH to re-send the link, please contact Maria Merlie at maria@nabh.org. Thank you for your cooperation!

NABH Submits Comments on CMS’ Proposed Rule for Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System

NABH this week sent comments and recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the agency’s proposed Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) for calendar year 2023 (CY 2023).

In its five-page letter, NABH proposed that CMS examine ways to account for increased costs to ensure that beneficiaries continue to have access to quality outpatient care and offered a range of recommendations, including: reducing the productivity cut for CY 2023; ensuring that non-340B hospitals remain unharmed; expanding telehealth services; and more.

CMS Announces Approval of Nation’s First Medicaid Mobile Crisis Intervention Services Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week announced approval of the Oregon Health Authority’s proposal to cover community-based stabilization services throughout the state.

Oregon is the first state to seek and be granted approval for the new Medicaid option that became available to states in April 2022.  The program will provide community-based stabilization services to individuals experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises by connecting them to a behavioral health specialist 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Sound the Alarm for Kids Virtual Roundtable is Today, Friday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. ET

Sound the Alarm for Kids will host “Helping Girls Thrive: A Conversation Examining Trends in Girls’ Mental Health” is today, Friday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m. ET.

The virtual roundtable discussion will examine the national campaign to raise awareness about today’s mental health crisis among children and teens and how to create change. Some of the speakers include Christina Bethell, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A, director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative at Johns Hopkins University and Kelley Haynes-Mendez, Psy.D., senior director of the human rights team at the American Psychological Association.

Click here to register.

Enhanced NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Now Available

NABH recently made enhancements to its Denial-of-Care Portal that are intended to make the portal easier for members to use.

A year ago, NABH developed the Denial-of-Care Portal to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard to parity or the effects on patients. Now the association has updated this resource to make it more user-friendly for members and also more aligned with what regulators need to identify parity violations.

The updated portal includes fewer questions, which will require less time for members to complete. In addition, all questions are now optional. NABH hopes this will make it more likely for members to share the data they have. Lastly, NABH has added a checklist of “red flags” that were included in the 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress from the U.S. Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury Departments in January.

Please e-mail Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.

Save the Date for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting!

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us in Washington, DC from June 12-14, 2023 for next year’s NABH Annual Meeting!

Fact of the Week

Based on data from 14 state maternal mortality review committees, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that mental health conditions—including suicide—are the 6th leading cause of pregnancy-related death.

For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond