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CDC Provisional Data Show Opioid Deaths Likely to Fall for First Time Since 1990 Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show drug-overdose deaths are on the brink of declining, but researchers are quick to caution the nation’s deadly opioid crisis is far from over. The CDC’s data predict there were nearly 69,100 drug deaths in the 12-month period ending in November 2018, down from almost 72,300 predicted deaths for the same 12-month period ending in 2017. If the trend continues through December— those data likely will be available next month—then annual drug deaths will fall for the first time since 1990, when about 8,400 people died from overdoses. “I think we’re probably looking at a decline,” Robert Anderson, Ph.D. chief of the Mortality Statistics branch at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, told the Wall Street Journal this week. “We shouldn’t say oh, we’ve won and we’ve defeated the drug-overdose epidemic.” The story reported that health officials and epidemiologists say there is little cause for celebration, especially as the death rate remains “swollen by powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl.” Meanwhile, the story noted one driving factor for the downward trend has been broadened access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, often known by the brand-name Narcan, according to officials in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Jim Hall, an epidemiologist at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, echoed Anderson’s measured optimism in his interview with the Wall Street Journal. “I’m ready to say that the opioid crisis in in early remission, yet at a high risk of relapse,” Hall said. CMS Announces Funding Opportunity for State Medicaid Agencies to Address SUD The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that up to $50 million is available to help increase capacity for Medicaid providers to deliver substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services. The Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act authorized the planning grant funding, which is available to at least 10 states for 18 months, CMS announced in the funding opportunity notice. Meanwhile, up to five states that receive planning grants will be chosen to implement 36-month demonstration projects and receive enhanced federal reimbursement for increased expenditures for SUD treatment and recovery services. Click here to learn more and apply for a grant. Veterans with PTSD More Likely to Die from Suicide, Hepatitis Veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a higher risk of dying from mental illness and other diseases than the general population, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The study’s researchers analyzed mortality data from nearly 500,000 veterans who started treatment for their PTSD at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center between 2008 and 2013 and found that veterans with PTSD were about twice as likely to die from suicide, accidental injuries, and hepatitis than the general population. The study acknowledged a few limitations related to both the sample selection and follow-up. For one, the study’s approach did not account for relevant confounders, including race/ethnicity, psychiatric and medical comorbidity, and treatment. “Although the cohort was started in 2008 to account for changes in the VA delivery of evidence-based PTSD care, this study did not address patient-level treatment characteristics and was not designed to determine whether PTSD care affects mortality.” NABH Supports BETTER Act to Expand Medicare Telehealth Benefits NABH was one of more than a dozen organizations this week that signed a letter supporting the bipartisan Beneficiary Education Tools Telehealth Extender Reauthorization (BETTER) Act of 2019, a House bill intended to improve Medicare’s telehealth benefits for patients who need mental health services. In a letter to Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Ways and Means Committee, NABH and 13 other groups this week noted that CMS reports mental disorders are at the top of diagnoses for Medicare beneficiaries receiving telehealth services in 2016. “However, current law restrictions prohibiting the receipt of telehealth services in the home and limiting coverage to specific geographic areas hamper the accessibility of effective mental health services to treat Medicare beneficiaries,” the letter said. “We are very pleased that H.R. 3417 removes these barriers and allows Medicare patients to access psychotherapy services through telehealth no matter where they live and in their own homes. NABH Supports CREATE Act to Expand MAT Programs for Incarcerated Individuals with OUD NABH and other member organizations of the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose (CSOO) sent a letter this week to the federal lawmakers who introduced the Community Re-entry through Addiction Treatment to Enhance (CREATE) Opportunities Act, which is intended to expand Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are incarcerated. Specifically, the legislation from Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) would provide $50 million each year from fiscal year 2020 through fiscal year 2023 for the U.S. Attorney General to make grants and enter into cooperative agreements with states and local governments to develop, implement, or expand programs to provide MAT to individuals who have OUD and are incarcerated. The bill also includes requirements for the covered programs. Click here to read the letter from the CSOO. CEO Update Will Publish Next on Friday, July 12 NABH’s office will be closed on July 4 and 5 for Independence Day and will not publish CEO Update next week. CEO Update will publish next on Friday, July 12. The entire NABH team wishes you a happy and safe Independence Day weekend!   For questions or comments about CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.