CEO Update 189
Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing and Releases Report on Youth RTFs
In conjunction with a hearing Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee released Warehouse of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities, a partisan report that cites limitations and problems at youth RTFs and fails to recognize the critical care, treatment, and educational support these programs provide to America’s youth.
Only members of the Committee’s minority staff developed the report, a two-year effort that focused on four operators of youth residential treatment facilities (RTFs), including three NABH system members.
“NABH is eager to work with federal leaders to develop policies that advance access to quality care in the appropriate settings for U.S. youth who struggle with mental health and substance use disorders,” NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin said in a statement Wednesday. “We also want to remind congressional leaders that if public discourse about youth RTFs is to benefit the common good, we need to ensure that policymakers, members of the media, worried parents, concerned teachers, and the general public share the same, clear understanding of the role that regulated, licensed RTFs play in the behavioral healthcare continuum.”
The report recommended three main points: 1) children placed in RTFs must be afforded safety, dignity, and homelike conditions and provided with the treatment and support that they need, 2) government funding should prioritize community-based services and placements to address children’s behavioral health needs, and 3) effective oversight mechanisms of RTFs require substantial investment at all levels of government.
At the hearing, several Democratic members joined Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). Several witnesses, including a disabilities-rights advocate and a Government Accountability Office representative, painted an incomplete picture of the care and treatment that RTFs provide. While most acknowledged youth RTFs play a role in the behavioral healthcare continuum, senators and witnesses called for more home and community-based services and better state and federal oversight, among other recommendations.
Meanwhile, there were no statements that reflected the successful treatment in RTF programs and the increasing need for them in the United States today. Since 2010, the number of youth residential treatment programs has declined by 60.9%; the number of youth served has declined by 77%; and the number of beds has declined by 66.2%; according to a May 2024 study from the Manhattan Institute.
Also Wednesday, NABH sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee and released a new youth RTF fact sheet, which highlights 10 essential facts about youth RTFs. Please share the fact sheet with your teams and engage with NABH’s X and LinkedIn posts to spread the message about these facilities and the critical – and often life-saving – care that NABH members provide in RTFs every day.
Legal Action Center to Host Webinar Next Week on How SUD Providers Can Leverage Medicaid Reentry for People Leaving Prisons and Jails
Medicaid reentry is a new federal policy meant to strengthen access to health coverage and transitional services for people preparing to come home from prison or jail, with a primary goal to prevent overdose among reentering individuals.
The Legal Action Center, an Opioid Response Network training partner, will host Medicaid Reentry: How Substance Use Disorder Service Providers/Stakeholders Can Leverage This New Opportunity to Strengthen Equitable Health Outcomes for People Leaving Prison/Jail, a 75-minute webinar next Thursday, June 20 starting at noon ET.
Click here to add the event to your calendar.
National Academies Releases Publication on Adult ADHD
The National Academies has released Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Drug Development, Diagnosis, and Treatment, which is based on proceedings from a December 2023 workshop about the topic.
According to the National Academies, evidence suggests adults with ADHD may be more likely to develop an SUD, and there are concerns that non-medical use of prescription stimulants could lead to misuse, overdose, or toxicity.
Reminder: ONC Funding Opportunity Seeks to Accelerate BHIT
HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) last month announced a funding opportunity totaling $2 million for fiscal year 2024 under the Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) in Health Information Technology (Health IT).
ONC is seeking applications that address two areas of interest. The first area seeks to develop innovative ways to evaluate and improve the quality of healthcare data used in artificial intelligence (AI) tools in healthcare to improve electronic health record technologies.
The second area is focused on designing, developing, and piloting lightweight health IT solutions that can enhance health IT capabilities in behavioral healthcare settings and improve care coordination between behavioral healthcare and clinical healthcare settings.
“These two areas of interest are a natural extension of ONC’s work,” Steve Posnack, deputy national coordinator for health information technology and an NABH 2024 Annual Meeting speaker, said in a statement. “We look forward to receiving innovative applications and seeing the impacts generated by selected awardees.”
Click here to learn more about the grant opportunity; ONC will accept applications through July 12, 2024.
Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal
NABH thanks all members who have submitted data to the association’s Denial-of-Care Portal. You have provided critical information that expands the portal and helps NABH strengthen its advocacy efforts related to erroneous prior-authorization denials.
With guidance from our members, NABH has improved the portal by adding two elements:
- Time-based data on the number of days between a request for coverage and a plan’s denial, which improves our ability to assess and compare health plan responsiveness.
- The gap between days of provided care versus days of covered care to quantify and compare uncompensated days per health plan.
We strongly encourage all NABH members to submit their denial-of-care data in the portal. If you need help starting, or if you have other questions, please e-mail NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affairs Emily Wilkins.
Fact of the Week
The number of individual pills containing fentanyl that law enforcement officer seized was 2,300 times greater in 2023 compared with 2017, with 115,562,603 pills seized in 2023 versus 49,657 in 2017, according to a recent announcementfrom the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.