NABH Annual Meeting Kicks Off on Monday!

We’re pleased to devote this week’s edition of CEO Update to details about our Annual Meeting that starts on Monday, June 13!

Our theme this year is Shaping the Future of Behavioral Healthcare, and our speakers—including HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra— will address topics that affect our industry today and in the years ahead. From parity and access to care, to the Biden’s administration’s behavioral health and drug control strategies, to the 2022 midterm elections, to workforce challenges and solutions, to the upcoming 988 behavioral health crisis hotline, this year’s program is one you won’t want to miss.

On Monday, please be sure to look for an Annual Meeting Alert, which will include a link to our mobile app that contains important details about sessions, events, committee meeting room assignments, exhibitors and sponsors, our priorities for the 117^th Congress, restaurant recommendations in the Washington area, and more.

We’ll open our meeting on Monday with two dynamic speakers: Ben Nemtin will discuss his personal battle with clinical depression and how to thrive personally and professionally, and journalist Sam Quinones will share his experiences writing his most recent book, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth. Sam will sign copies of his book after his presentation.

As with previous Annual Meetings, we will post presentations on our website after the meeting ends. Registration opens on Monday at noon, and our first session kicks off in the Mandarin Oriental’s Grand Ballroom at 2:30 p.m. I hope to see you there!

-Shawn Coughlin, President and CEO

HHS Secretary Becerra to Address Attendees on Tuesday, June 14

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the 25^th secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the first Latino to hold that office, will address Annual Meeting attendees on Tuesday, June 14 at 8:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom.

Secretary Becerra will offer brief remarks and then engage in a question-and-answer session with NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin.

Previously Secretary Becerra was California’s attorney general and before that served for 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was the first Latino to serve as a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He also served as chairman of his party’s caucus and as the ranking member of both the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health and Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security.

Secretary Becerra will discuss the Biden administration’s comprehensive strategy to address America’s mental health crisis, which includes promoting the well-being of the nation’s frontline healthcare workforce, piloting new approaches to training behavioral health paraprofessionals, strengthening the country’s crisis care and suicide prevention infrastructure, integrating mental health and substance use treatment into primary care, expanding and strengthening parity, and more.

ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.B.A., FACP to Present on Tuesday, June 14

Following Secretary Becerra’s presentation on Tuesday, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.B.A., FACP will provide a presentation at 9:30 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom.

Dr. Gupta is the first medical doctor to serve as director and lead ONDCP, a component of the Executive Office of the President. ONDCP coordinates the nation’s $40 billion drug budget and federal policies, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support, and supply reduction.

Through his work as a physician, a state and local leader, an educator, and a senior leader of a national nonprofit organization, Dr. Gupta has dedicated his career to improving public health and public safety.

He is also a buprenorphine-waivered practitioner, who has provided medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorder.

The son of an Indian diplomat, Dr. Gupta was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At age 21, he completed medical school at the University of Delhi and later completed subspecialty training in pulmonary medicine.

Dr. Gupta earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration degree from the London School of Business and Finance.

Panel to Examine Ways to Address Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Challenges

Workforce shortages have challenged NABH members for years before the pandemic worsened the problem. For this year’s Annual Meeting, NABH has developed a panel to discuss potential solutions.

Please join us in the Grand Ballroom on Tuesday, June 14 at 11 a.m. to learn from panelists Megan Baird of the Office of Apprenticeship in the U.S. Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration; Malissa Lewis, LL.M of the Health Resources and Services Administration; and David Long of Pinnacle Treatment Centers, an NABH member organization.

NABH Director of Quality and Addiction Services Sarah Wattenberg, L.C.S.W. will moderate a discussion that will highlight apprenticeships, loan repayment programs, and more.

Political Commentator Amy Walter to Discuss 2022 Midterm Elections

Be sure to attend this year’s Annual Meeting Luncheon at noon on Tuesday, June 14 in the Oriental Ballroom to learn from political commentator Amy Walter, who will preview this fall’s midterm election season.

Walter, editor in chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and a political commentator for the PBS NewsHour, provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment. She is also a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics and appears frequently on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel.

From 2017 until early 2021, Walter was the host of the weekly nationally syndicated program “Politics with Amy Walter” on The Takeaway from WNYC and PRX. She’s also the former political director of ABC News.

Learn Details about the Wit v. UBH Case During Wednesday’s Policy Breakfast

Join us on Wednesday morning, June 15 to hear from Meiram Bendat, J.D., founder and president of Psych Appeal and consultant to NABH, who will discuss details of the Wit v. UBH case.
 
The policy breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and the Annual Meeting will adjourn at 10 a.m.
 
 
The NABH team wishes everyone a safe trip to Washington, and we look forward to seeing you soon! For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond

White House Releases Fact Sheet on Strategy to Address Nation’s Mental Health Crisis

The Biden Administration concluded Mental Health Month this week by announcing new actions to advance President Biden’s mental health strategy in three previously announced objectives: strengthening system capacity, connecting more Americans to care services, and creating a continuum of support.

The White House noted that America’s mental health crisis is unprecedented, as two in five American adults report symptoms of anxiety and depression, and more than half of U.S. parents express concern about their children’s mental well-being. Meanwhile, the announcement continued, more than 40% of teenagers report they struggle with persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

“These growing demands have exposed longstanding cracks in our care infrastructure while compounding many other challenges, from criminal justice to homelessness to the labor shortage,” the White House announcement said.

In a new fact sheet, the Biden Administration outlined applicable action steps to address the crisis, such as promoting the well-being of the healthcare workforce, piloting new approaches to training behavioral health paraprofessionals, bolstering the nation’s crisis care and suicide prevention infrastructure, building capacity for long-term care facilities to deliver behavioral health services, making care affordable across all types of health insurance coverage, integrating mental health services in ways that reduce stigma and access barriers, and more.

HHS’ Office on Women’s Health Announces Grant Program to Reduce Maternal Deaths Due to SUD

HHS’ Office on Women’s Health is accepting applications for projects designed to strengthen the perinatal (from conception to birth) and postnatal (up to 12 months after birth) to support structures for patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and reduce deaths during those two time periods.

Applicants who receive funding will be expected to partner with hospital and community-based organizations to implement evidence-based interventions that strengthen perinatal and postnatal support structures for patients with SUD; create a technologically innovative education and outreach products to provide support accessible to perinatal and postpartum patients with SUD at home and on the go to reduce triggers, decrease stress, and increase feelings of support; and improve health outcomes and reduce deaths among perinatal and postpartum patients associated with SUD.

Both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply. Click here to learn more and apply.

National Academies’ Forum on Mental Health and SUD to Host Summer Workshop on Early Intervention for Psychosis

The National Academies’ Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders will host a public workshop this summer that focuses on early intervention for psychosis, current data on the epidemiology and outcomes for people at high risk for psychosis and those who have experienced a first psychosis, and ways to improve care for these patients.

Sessions will provide an overview of the epidemiology for people with psychosis, discuss what services are available and highlight successful models of care, and examine policy solutions and strategies that are most effective for coordinated specialty services.

The workshop will be held on Monday, July 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

NABH developed the portal so members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will inform members when the updated portal is ready to use.

Learn About Our 2022 Annual Meeting Speakers!

The NABH 2022 Annual Meeting is fewer than two weeks away. Please be sure to learn more about this year’s speakers here on our Annual Meeting homepage.

And please be sure to register for the meeting, if you have not done so yet.

We look forward to seeing you soon in Washington!

Fact of the Week

A new study in JAMA Psychiatry found that after sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), some individuals—on the basis of education, race/ethnicity, history of mental health problems and cause of injury—were at substantially increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD).

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

HHS Leaders Encourage States to Prioritize Efforts to Support Children’s Mental Health
 
Following Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas—the deadliest U.S. school shooting in 10 years in which a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers—U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) agency leaders sent a joint letter to states, tribes, and jurisdictions urging them to maximize and prioritize their efforts to strengthen children’s mental health and well-being.

According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, the number of children ages 3-17 years diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29% and those with depression by 27% between 2016 and 2020. Meanwhile, there was a 21% increase in children diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems between 2019-2020.

The letter provided a list of existing opportunities, partnerships, grants, and programs that states, tribes, and jurisdictions can access to support children’s mental health. Including HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, leaders from the Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Community Living, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) signed the letter on May 25.

U.S. Surgeon General Releases Advisory on Health Worker Burnout

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. this week released Addressing Health Worker Burnout, a 76-page advisory intended to draw the American people’s attention to an urgent public health issue and provide recommendations about how to manage it.

In a video accompanying the advisory, Murthy noted that 54% of the nation’s physicians and nurses were experiencing burnout before the pandemic began, eight out of 10 health workers have experienced workplace violence, and 66% of U.S. nurses have considered resigning.

“Healthcare systems, health insurance companies, and government must prioritize health worker well-being,” Murthy said in his recorded message. “This means increasing access to mental health services; reducing workplace burdens to prioritize time with patients; and protecting the health and safety of all health workers.”

The advisory includes separate categories describing what healthcare organizations, federal, state, local, and tribal governments, insurers and payers, healthcare technology companies, academic institutions, clinical training programs, and accreditation bodies can do to help address health worker burnout.

George Washington University & Health Landscape Create Mental Health-SUD Workforce Database

With support from a SAMHSA grant, the George Washington University Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity and data research firm Health Landscape have developed a national database on the country’s mental health and substance use disorder workforce to provide evidence-based support for creating policy and targeting resources appropriately.

The new Behavioral Health Workforce Tracker is a comprehensive national database that identifies almost 1.2 million behavioral health providers, including more than 600,000 behavioral health specialists, including psychiatric and addiction medicine specialists, psychologists, counselors, and therapists; about 400,000 primary care physicians and advanced practice providers who provided 11 more behavioral health medications, and an additional 173,556 physician specialists who also wrote more than 11 behavioral health medications.

Click here to learn more about the database.

National Academies’ Forum on Mental Health and SUD to Host Workshop on Early Intervention for Psychosis

The National Academies’ Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders will host a public workshop this summer that focuses on early intervention for psychosis, current data on the epidemiology and outcomes for people at high risk for psychosis and those who have experienced a first psychosis, and ways to improve care for these patients.

Sessions will provide an overview of the epidemiology for people with psychosis, discuss what services are available and highlight successful models of care, and examine policy solutions and strategies that are most effective for coordinated specialty services.

The workshop will be held on Monday, July 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

NABH developed the portal so members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will keep members apprised of when the updated portal is ready to use.

NABH 2022 Annual Meeting Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date is Wednesday, June 1

The Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC has extended the hotel reservation cutoff date for the 2022 NABH Annual Meeting this coming Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Please be sure to reserve your hotel room today!

And please visit our Annual Meeting webpage to register for the meeting, if you have not done so yet.

We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Fact of the Week 

There has been a 213% increase in the death rate of Black men from drug overdoses from 2015 to 2020, the American Psychological Association reports. Before 2015, Black men were considerably less likely than both White men and American Indian or Alaska Native men to die from drug overdoses. Since then, the death rate among Black men has more than tripled.
 
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond

NABH and Other Healthcare Groups Request Review of Three-Judge Panel’s Ruling in Wit v. UBH

NABH last week requested that the full 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals review a recent ruling from a three-judge panel that erroneously reversed a trial court’s landmark decision last year in the mental health class action, Wit v. United Behavioral Health.  

NABH filed an amicus brief to request a “rehearing en banc.” If granted, a rehearing could vacate the appellate panel’s deeply flawed ruling. The American Hospital Association, American Psychological Association, American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, California Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and REDC added their organization names to the amicus brief.

“Unfortunately, the likely consequence of the panel decision is that the gains achieved as a result of the district court’s rulings will be wiped out as even further restrictions are placed on the care patients receive for treatment of mental illness,” the amicus brief states. “Instead of medical necessity determinations based on GASC developed by non-profit expert bodies, the decision-making power will be left to the discretion of for-profit insurers such as UBH.”
 
Click here to read the news release that NABH distributed on Monday, May 16.

SAMHSA Introduces First ‘Behavioral Health Recovery Innovation Challenge’

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this week introduced its first “Behavioral Health Recovery Challenge” to identify innovations that peer-run or community-based organizations—and entities that partner with them, including hospitals and health systems—have developed to advance recovery.

SAMHSA defines recovery as “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.”

SAMHSA’s announcement noted that the agency encourages participants to share details about the practices they use to advance recovery and also demonstrate how these practices have: 1) expanded on SAMHSA’s definition of recovery, or 2) helped them overcome challenges in incorporating recovery into their behavioral health services or systems.

“By using this vehicle, we hope to gain a better understanding of effective and innovative recovery practices from a very diverse field,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., said in an announcement. Delphin-Rittmon also leads SAMHSA. “We aim to take what works for a small group and scale up to a larger population.”

Click here to learn more from SAMHSA’s Recovery Innovation Challenge webpage.

SAMHSA Announces Funding Opportunity to Establish Center of Excellence on Social Media and Wellbeing

SAMHSA this week announced a funding opportunity that will award $2 million per year up to five years to establish a national Center of Excellence (CoE) that will develop and disseminate information, guidance, and training on the effects of children and youth’s social media use, including both its risks and benefits.

SAMHSA’s grant announcement noted that the new CoE will pay particular attention to the potential risks social media platforms pose to the mental health of children and youth, as well as the clinical and societal interventions that could be used to address those risks.

Eligible applicants include states, political divisions of states, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, health facilities, programs operated by or in accordance with a grant contract with the Indian Health Service, or other public of private, not-for-profit entities.

The deadline to apply is Monday, July 18. Click here to learn more.

SAMHSA Announces $1.5 billion for State Opioid Response Program

SAMHSA this week said the agency’s State Opioid Response Program grant will fund up to $1,439,500,000 in fiscal year 2022 to 59 states and territories, including a set-aside for states with the highest opioid use disorder-related mortality rates. Grant funds may be used on contingency management to treat stimulant use disorder.
 
In announcement about the grant funding, Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FACP said that fewer than one out of 10 people in the United States who need addiction care receive it.
 
“That is why President Biden released a National Drug Control Strategy to beat the overdose epidemic by going after its drivers: untreated addiction and drug trafficking,” Gupta said in the announcement. “Today we are delivering on key parts of our Strategy through this new funding, which will expand access to treatment for substance use disorder and prevent overdoses, while we also work to reduce the supply of illicit drugs in our communities and dismantle drug trafficking.”

The use of contingency management for the treatment off stimulant use disorder is a permitted use of grant funds. The application process opened on Thursday, May 19 and will remain open through Monday, July 18. Click here to learn more.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

NABH developed the portal so members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will keep members apprised of when the updated portal is ready to use.

NABH 2022 Annual Meeting Hotel Reservation Cutoff Date Extended Until June 1

The Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC has extended the hotel reservation cutoff date for the 2022 NABH Annual Meeting to Wednesday, June 1, 2022. Please be sure to reserve your hotel room today!

And please visit our Annual Meeting webpage to register for the meeting, if you have not done so yet. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Fact of the Week

In a recent Cigna survey of 1,000 parents, 80% said their children are struggling with mental health, and nearly one-fifth (18%) say their child’s needs are negatively affecting their job performance and productivity.

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

CDC Predicts U.S. Overdose Deaths Surpassed 107,000 in 2021

More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released this week.

The troubling statistic—the CDC predicts the total to be 107,622 lives lost— hit a new record, as the number of predicted overdose deaths in 2021 reflects a 15-percent increase in the previous record set in 2020.

“It is unacceptable that we are losing a life to overdose every five minutes around the clock,” the Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FACP, said in a White House statement. “That is why President Biden’s new National Drug Control Strategy signals a new era of drug policy centered on individuals and communities, focusing specifically on the actions we must take right now to reduce overdoses and save lives.”

Separately this week, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recognized the first Fentanyl Awareness Day on Monday, May 9. The DEA reports that the synthetic opioid fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is also inexpensive, widely available, and highly addictive.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram released a video announcement about the dangers of fentanyl and the need for urgent action.

HRSA Extends Deadline to Submit for Extenuating Circumstances Request to May 18

HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this week announced it has extended the deadline for providers to request to submit a late Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Period 2 (RP2) report to Wednesday, May 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

According to HRSA, providers may submit a request if certain extenuating circumstances prevented them from submitting their RP2 report by the initial deadline of March31.

All requests must be completed through the PRF Reporting Portal.

Center for Connected Health Policy Releases Bi-Annual Summary of State Telehealth Policy Changes

The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) this week released a summary of state telehealth policy changes for Spring 2022.

Covering state telehealth policy updates between January and April 2022, the 11-page summary examines state laws and reimbursement policies, private payors, online prescribing, and more.

The resource also includes a state summary chart and an infographic of CCHP’s essential findings.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

The portal was developed so NABH members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will keep members apprised of when the updated portal is ready to use.

NABH 2022 Annual Meeting Preliminary Program Now Available!

The NABH 2022 Annual Meeting online preliminary program is now available. Unless noted otherwise, meeting sessions are open to all Annual Meeting attendees.

Please remember to register for the Annual Meeting and reserve your hotel room today, if you haven’t done so yet.

We look forward to seeing you next month in Washington!

Fact of the Week

Adolescent female youth who attempted suicide had an elevated risk of substance use disorders up to three decades later, according to a new study in JAMA Psychiatry.
 
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.

ASPE Report Studies Pandemic’s Effects on Hospital and Clinician Workforce

A comprehensive report from HHS’ Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) examines the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on the nation’s healthcare workforce and offers several recommendations, including removing barriers to practicing to the top of one’s license/certification, retaining Covid-19 flexibilities as appropriate, funding for scholarships, and more.
 
The nearly 30-page report, Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Hospital and Outpatient Clinician Workforce, found that total employment in the healthcare industry declined during the early months of the pandemic but gradually recovered during the summer of 2020. Many hospitals reported critical staffing shortages during the course of the pandemic—especially when Covid case numbers were high—and during the recent Omicron surge in January and February 2022, the seven-day average of hospitals reporting critical staffing shortages peaked at 22% during mid-January 2022, the report noted.

The report acknowledged that several provider types, including behavioral health providers, experienced staffing shortages before the pandemic began.

“Even after the pandemic, many of the effects the pandemic has had on the health care workforce will likely persist,” the report noted. “Addressing these impacts as well as the underlying challenges that pre-dated the pandemic can help build a stronger and more resilient health care system for the future.”

Joint Commission’s Covid-19 Staff Vaccination Standard Takes Effect July 1

The Joint Commission said it has approved its new Infection Prevention and Control standard and its elements of performance as a response to the interim final rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late last year.

According to the Joint Commission, the accrediting organization began surveying to the Omnibus Covid-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination interim final rule—which was released on Nov. 5, 2021—on Jan. 27 this year.

“While changes to Joint Commission standards requirements were under review by CMS, findings related to the COVID-19 staff vaccination regulatory requirements have been scored at Leadership (LD) Standard LD.04.01.01, EP 2, along with the applicable Medicare Conditions of Participation/Conditions for Coverage for each of the deemed programs,” the Joint Commission said in an announcement. “This scoring process will continue until June 30, 2022.

Click here to learn more.

SAMHSA Senior Medical Advisor John Palmieri, M.D., M.H.A. to Address Attendees at Annual Meeting 

NABH will welcome John Palmieri, M.D., M.H.A., senior medical advisor at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and acting director for the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline and Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office, at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Washington on Tuesday, June 14.

Prior to his arrival at SAMHSA, Dr. Palmieri was the division chief for behavioral healthcare at the Arlington County (Virginia) Department of Human Services. Dr. Palmieri is a licensed physician in Virginia and is board certified in adult psychiatry. He graduated from Brown University Medical School and completed his adult psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Please click here to learn about our 2022 Annual Meeting speakers.

National Prevention Week is May 8-14

SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week starts Sunday, May 8, and the agency will commemorate the 18^th annual National Prevention Day on Monday, May 9. Click here for an agenda of the day’s events.

The week-long commemoration is part of Mental Health Awareness Month, which kicked off on Sunday, May 1. The White House issued a proclamation honoring Mental Health Awareness Month, and Mental Health America (MHA)—which established the monthly observance in 1949—is recognizing the 2022 observance with the theme “Back to Basics.” The campaign is intended to provide what MHA has referred to as “foundational knowledge” about mental health, mental health conditions, and information about what people can do if their mental health is cause for concern.

Please remember to follow NABH on Twitter @NABHbehavioral and on LinkedIn at the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare throughout the month to learn what NABH members, federal agencies, and advocacy organizations are doing to promote Mental Health Month.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

The portal was developed so NABH members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will keep members apprised about the updated portal is ready to use.

Please Visit the NABH 2022 Annual Meeting Exhibitors & Sponsors Page!

 NABH appreciates the generous support from its exhibitors and sponsors each year at the association’s Annual Meeting.

To learn who is exhibiting and sponsoring NABH in 2022, please visit the Exhibitors & Sponsors page on our Annual Meeting homepage. The page also includes general information, tips for exhibitors, and details about shipping materials to the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC.

And please remember to register for the Annual Meeting and reserve your hotel room today, if you haven’t done so yet. We look forward to seeing you next month in Washington!

Fact of the Week

Audio-only visits were the leading telehealth modality for primary care and behavioral health throughout the full pandemic study period of February 2019 through August 2021, according to a new research report from RAND. At the end of the study period, however, audio-only visits were eclipsed by in-person visits for primary care, but not for behavioral health, the study showed.
 

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

CMS Behavioral Health Strategy Aims to Strengthen Equity, Improve Quality, and Provide Outreach to Beneficiaries

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released The CMS Behavioral Health Strategy, a five-goal plan that aims to remove barriers to care and services and also adopt a data-informed approach to evaluate the agency’s behavioral health programs and policies.

Noting that the strategy “will strive to support a person’s whole emotional and mental well-being and promotes person-centered behavioral healthcare,” CMS set the following five goals: 1) strengthen equity and quality in behavioral healthcare, 2) improve access to substance use disorders treatment, prevention, and recovery services, 3) ensure effective pain treatment and management, 4) improve access and quality of mental healthcare and services, and 5) utilize data for effective actions and impact on behavioral health.

Click here to learn about the objectives in each of those goals.

SAMHSA Announces New Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) this week named Yngvild Olsen, M.D., M.P.H. as the new director of the agency’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

An addiction medicine specialist and general internist, Olsen began her career as the medical director for the outpatient substance use treatment services while serving as a full-time assistant professor in the department of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

From 2011 to 2021, Olsen served as medical director for the Institutes for Behavior Resources/REACH Health Services, a comprehensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment program in Baltimore City.

ONDCP Director Rahul Gupta to Address Attendees at NABH Annual Meeting

NABH is pleased to announce that Director of National Drug Control Policy Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FACP will address attendees at the 2022 Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 14.

Dr. Gupta is the first medical doctor to serve as director and lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), a component of the Executive Office of the President. ONDCP coordinates the nation’s $40 billion drug budget and federal policies, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support, and supply reduction.

Through his work as a physician, a state and local leader, an educator, and a senior leader of a national nonprofit organization, Dr. Gupta has dedicated his career to improving public health and public safety.

He is also a buprenorphine-waivered practitioner, who has provided medication-assisted treatment for people with opioid use disorder.

The son of an Indian diplomat, Dr. Gupta was born in India and grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. At age 21, he completed medical school at the University of Delhi and later completed subspecialty training in pulmonary medicine. Dr. Gupta earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a global master’s of business administration degree from the London School of Business and Finance.

If you have not done so yet, please visit our Annual Meeting homepage and register today. We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

In Case You Missed It: Kennedy Forum Parity Webinar Recording Now Available

NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin participated in a webinar about mental health and substance use disorder treatment parity on Tuesday, April 26 with federal health officials and healthcare organization leaders.

Coughlin joined fellow presenters HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., The Kennedy Forum founder and former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), and American Medical Association President Patrice Harris, M.D. to discuss the Biden administration’s commitment to ensuring parity implementation, the recent Wit v. United Behavioral Health ruling, and ongoing problems with parity compliance. David Lloyd, senior policy advisor at The Kennedy Forum, moderated the event.

During the webinar, Delphin-Rittmon, who serves as administrator of SAMHSA, discussed three parity resources that SAMHSA has developed to help patient families, providers, and policymakers understand parity: Know Your Rights, Understanding Parity: A Guide to Resources for Families and Caretakers, and The Essential Aspects of Parity: A Training Tool for Policymakers.

NABH was the lead sponsor for this webinar and live Tweeted during the event. Click here to watch the recorded broadcast.

BPC to Host Webinar Monday on Combating the Opioid Crisis with Smarter Federal Spending

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will host a webinar on Monday, May 2 about new recommendations centered on enhancing federal spending and improving the federal response to America’s ongoing opioid crisis.

Participants include Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FACP; Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); American Medical Association President Patrice Harris, M.D.; former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, M.D.; and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala.

The hour-long webinar will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to register. 

Mental Health Awareness Month Starts Sunday!

Mental Health Month kicks off this Sunday, May 1 to raise awareness about mental health in America.

Mental Health America (MHA), which established the monthly observance in 1949, will commemorate Mental Health 2022 with the theme “Back to Basics” to provide what MHA has referred to as “foundational knowledge” about mental health, mental health conditions, and information about what people can do if their mental health is cause for concern.

SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week is May 8-14 and the agency will commemorate the 18^th annual National Prevention Day on Monday, May 9. Click here for an agenda of the day’s events.

And please remember to follow NABH on Twitter @NABHbehavioral and on LinkedIn at the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare throughout the month to learn what NABH members, federal agencies, and advocacy organizations are doing to promote Mental Health Month.

NABH Working to Enhance Denial-of-Care Portal

NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is temporarily unavailable as the association works to enhance features of this member-only resource.

The portal was developed so NABH members could submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation and is intended to help the association in its advocacy efforts with policymakers and regulators.

NABH will keep members apprised when the updated portal is ready to use.

Fact of the Week

Mental health, developmental disorders, and substance use disorders collectively accounted for 48% of all telehealth claims, according to a new report from FAIR Health, a national, not-for-profit organization that produces data products and consumer resources about transparency in healthcare costs and health insurance.
 

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

President Biden Sends National Drug Control Policy to Congress

President Biden on Thursday sent his administration’s inaugural National Drug Control Policy to Congress with the goal of using a whole-of-government approach to combat the nation’s overdose crisis.

The comprehensive strategy focuses on the main drivers of the crisis—untreated addiction and drug trafficking—as it directs federal agencies to take actions that will expand access to evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services, while also reducing the supply of drugs.

The plan comes as the nation continues to produce grim statistics: for the first time in America’s history, the country has passed the milestone of 100,000 deaths resulting from drug overdoses in a 12-month period. Meanwhile, since 1999, drug overdoses have killed approximately 1 million Americans.

A message from President Bident to Congress at the beginning of the strategy explains the Office of National Drug Control Policy led the effort to produce the strategy in close collaboration with the 18 national drug control agencies. In addition, the Biden administration involved more than 2,000 leaders and stakeholders, including Congress, all 50 Governors, and advocates representing public safety, public health, community groups, local governments, and Tribal communities.

An important component of the strategy is its emphasis on harm reduction, an approach that works with people who use drugs to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission; improve the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of those served; and offer flexible options for accessing substance use disorder treatment and other health care services.

“We are changing how we help people when it comes to drug use, by meeting them where they are with high-impact harm reduction services and removing barriers to effective treatment for addiction,” Rahul Gupta, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., director of National Drug Control Policy, said in the document, “while addressing the underlying factors that lead to substance use disorder head on.”

The Kennedy Forum to Host Parity Webinar on Tuesday, April 26

NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin will join HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and other healthcare leaders in a webinar about expanding access to mental health and addiction treatment coverage on Tuesday, April 26.

The webinar will also feature Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, and American Medical Association President Patrice Harris, M.D.

Click here to learn more and register for the hourlong webinar, which will start at 2 p.m. ET.

NABH Sends Comments to CMS About Access to Coverage in Medicaid & CHIP

NABH this week responded to a request for information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding access to coverage for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

In the letter, NABH emphasized that inadequate access to acute care has led to a strong reliance on hospital emergency rooms to treat people with serious mental illness, even though these settings are not well-suited to address those particular patient needs. NABH also emphasized how the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the already-increased need for mental health and addiction services.

NABH outlined a series of recommendations, including strengthening network adequacy for the full continuum of mental health and addiction treatment; requiring Medicaid programs and plans to implement parity compliance documentation requirements in Medicaid and CHIP; improving Medicaid reimbursement for mental health and addiction treatment providers; and more.

CMS Opens Federal Independent Dispute Resolution Process for Providers

CMS late last week opened the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process for healthcare providers, facilities, health plans, and issuers to resolve payment disputes for certain out-of-network charges.

According to CMS, an initiating party will need the following in order to start a dispute: information to identify the qualified IDR items or services; dates and location of items or services; type of items or services such as emergency services and post-stabilization services; codes for corresponding service and place-of-service; attestation that items or services are within the scope of the Federal IDR process; and the initiating party’s preferred certified IDR entity. A list of certified entities is available here.

After the 30-business-day open negotiation period ends, initiating parties will have four business days to initiate a dispute via the portal.

BJA Accepting Applications for Variety of Behavioral Health-Related Grant Opportunities

The U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is accepting applications for a range of grant programs—eligible to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations— that seek to improve outcomes for people with mental health and substance use disorders.

BJA’s Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for State Prisoners Training and Technical Assistance Program offers funding to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to grantees and practitioners to improve correctional substance use disorder treatment programming and post-release outcomes for individuals who are incarcerated. Of the four grant opportunities noted in this news item, this grant is the only one for which for-profit organizations other than small businesses are eligible.

The Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program is seeking applications for funding to support law enforcement-behavioral health cross-system collaboration to improve public health and safety responses and outcomes for people with mental health and substance use disorders.

BJA is also accepting applications for its Improving Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Outcomes for Adults in Reentry for funding to establish, expand, and improve treatment and recovery support services for people with substance use disorders during their incarceration and upon reentry into the community.

And the department is accepting applications for its Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program to support cross-system collaboration to improve public safety responses and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with the justice system.

Please click on the hyperlinks above for more information and grant deadlines.

Political Analyst Amy Walter to Address Attendees at 2022 Annual Meeting Luncheon

NABH is pleased to welcome on-air political analyst Amy Walter as the association’s Annual Meeting Luncheon keynote speaker in Washington on Tuesday, June 14.

For more than 20 years, Amy Walter has built a reputation as an accurate, objective, and insightful political analyst with unparalleled access to campaign insiders and decision-makers. Known as one of the best political journalists covering Washington, she is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the non-partisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends, and events that shape the political environment.

As a contributor to the PBS NewsHour, Ms. Walter provides weekly political analysis for the popular “Politics Monday” segment. She is also a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics and appears frequently on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News Channel.

Please plan to join us for this year’s Annual Meeting luncheon. And if you haven’t done so yet, please remember to register for the meeting and reserve your hotel room today.

We look forward to seeing you in Washington!

Fact of the Week

People with schizophrenia made up a lower proportion of telehealth encounters relative to in-person visits (1.7% versus 2.7%), while those with anxiety and fear-related disorders accounted for a higher proportion (27.5% versus 25.5%), according to a new study published in the April edition of Health Affairs. Researchers concluded the findings highlight the importance of broadening access to services through new modalities without supplanting necessary in-person care for certain groups.

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