CEO Update 231
NABH Sends Comments to DOJ About Anticompetitive Regulations
NABH this week sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi suggesting opportunities to
to remove, modify, or clarify applying burdensome regulatory requirements that impede behavioral healthcare services to millions of Americans with mental and substance use disorders.
The letter covered a variety of topics, including Medicare requirements for inpatient psychiatric facilities, applying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act to psychiatric hospitals, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s requirements for mobile components to narcotic treatment programs, and other NABH priority issues.
Click here to read the full letter.
GAO Study: CMS Oversight of Prior Authorization Criteria Should Target Behavioral Health Services
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week released a report recommending the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) target behavioral health services in its program audit prior authorization denial reviews and planned reviews of internal coverage criteria.
“According to CMS, processes like prior authorization are designed to help MA (Medicare Advantage) organizations minimize unnecessary services, thereby helping to protect beneficiaries and contain costs,” the report noted. “However, studies have indicated that prior authorization and use of internal coverage criteria may hinder MA beneficiaries’ access to care,” it continued. “CMS is responsible for ensuring that MA beneficiaries generally receive at least the same coverage of benefits as beneficiaries enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare, which does not currently require prior authorization for any behavioral health services.”
Click here to access the full report, its highlights, and the GAO’s recommendations.
JAMA Examines VA-Purchased Community Care for U.S. Veterans with Mental Health Conditions
A new JAMA study concluded that among U.S. veterans using Community Care (CC), those with mental health conditions may be less satisfied with CC, emphasizing a need for targeted efforts to improve CC for this subpopulation.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania examined data from 231,869 veterans surveyed from 2016 to 2021 and found that those with versus those without mental health conditions reported significantly lower ratings of experiences with CC in nine domains, including a 1.8-point lower overall satisfaction rating.
“Although ratings of CC improved over time, differences in experiences persisted between veterans with and without MHC,” the study said.
NABH 2025 Annual Meeting Photos Now Available!
Please click here to see or use photos from the NABH 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington earlier this month.
Please be sure to credit photographer Chris Ferenzi if you use or share a photo.
ICYMI: NABH Annual Meeting Presentations Are Available
NABH has posted all 2025 Annual Meeting speaker presentations for which we received permission on our Speakers & Presentations page. We will send a link to our Annual Meeting photos at a later date.
Please mark your calendars for March 2-4, 2026 when we will host the NABH 2026 Annual Meeting at our new location: The Ritz-Carlton Washington, DC!
Fact of the Week
A new study published in Health Affairs found that overall, 6.4% of Medicaid Emergency Department visits were associated with a claim for MOUD within 30 days, based on Medicaid claims data from 2016-2020. This rate was highest among non-Hispanic White (7.3) patient%) s and lowest among non-Hispanic Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).