CEO Update 188
Senate Democrats Pressure Biden Administration to Complete Final Parity Rule
A group of Senate Democrats is pressuring the Biden administration to complete and release its final rule on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act’s requirements.
In a letter to the leaders of HHS, the Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Labor Department’s Employee Benefits and Security Administration, Sens. Chris Murphy (Conn.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), and Ben Ray Luján (N.M.) urged the Biden administration to stay the course on completing its work to finalize the 2023 proposed rule.
The letter noted: “…these rules will close existing loopholes in the law, expand narrow networks, and prohibit restrictive practices that prevent families from accessing care.”
Particularly important are the rules that combat the nonquantitative treatment limitations that are being used to deny mental health services to patients. These common-sense parity rules will help Americans suffering from mental health conditions or substance use disorder, reduce costs for taxpayers, and save lives.
NABH and leaders of mental health advocacy groups are also strongly urging these agency leaders to oppose efforts from insurance and employer groups to weaken the proposed rule’s strong protections.
Meanwhile, these communications come as a powerful group of employer organizations – the ERISA Industry Committee, the Partnership for Employer-Sponsored Coverage, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – have pushed back on the administration and the proposed rule, arguing that the regulations would be “unworkable” and undermine access to care.
Insurers have also slammed the proposed rule, saying it wouldn’t address underlying workforce shortages, which they say limit access to care. The Treasury Department has targeted June to finalize the rules, although it remains uncertain if that will happen.
HRSA Accepting STAR Loan Repayment Program Applications Through June 27
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will accept applications from eligible
SUD treatment clinicians and community health workers for its Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program through Thursday, June 27.
Click here for guidance about the STAR Loan Repayment program and here for information about the application process.
HRSA Adds Occupations to Guide for Licensure Portability
HRSA has announced that counseling and school psychologists have been added as new disciplines to the Multi-Discipline Licensure Resource Project that HRSA supports with the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
Previously the site provided guidance for psychology, social work, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The new disciplines include counseling, dentistry, dieticians, emergency medical services, physician assistants, nursing, advanced practice nursing, and school psychologists.
SAMHSA Releases Issue Brief on Peer Support in Mental Health
The Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration has released an issue brief for state mental health authorities about the benefits of peer support and inclusion of the peer workforce throughout the behavioral healthcare continuum.
The new resource highlights current standards and best practices for including peer support workers as an essential component of services delivery for mental and co-occurring disorders such as SUD.
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 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
Starting people with opioid use disorder on extended-release, injectable naltrexone (XR-naltrexone) within five to seven days of seeking treatment is more effective than the standard treatment method of starting within 10-15 days, but requires closer medical supervision, according to results from a National Institute on Drug Abuse-supported clinical trial.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.