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House Energy and Commerce Committee Advances No Surprises Act The House Energy and Commerce Committee this week approved legislation to end “surprise” medical bills with the addition of third-party arbitration. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the panel’s ranking member, co-sponsored the No Surprises Act, which advanced through the committee as part of the Reauthorizing and Extending America’s Community Health Act with amendments. Under the bill, healthcare facilities would be required to notify patients at least 24 hours before an elective treatment that an out-of-network provider would be involved in their care. The bill also would prohibit healthcare facilities and providers from balance-billing patients for that care and would establish rates for payments from commercial health plans to providers based on the local market. The initial bill did not include a process for providers and payers to challenge the basic median reimbursement, while the amended version that passed this week includes such a process. Overall hospital groups responded both favorably and cautiously to the news, suggesting that while the bill is significant for offering an arbitration option, the legislation could also set a precedent for the federal government to set private rates. The legislation now moves to the full House for a vote. JAMA Pediatrics Study Shows Parental Drug Use Has Led to Increase in Foster Care Cases A new JAMA Pediatrics study suggests that greater parental drug use has contributed to a rise in foster care caseloads and coincides with increasing trends in opioid use and overdose deaths. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School examined data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, a federally mandated collection system that receives case-level information on all children in foster care in the United States. They found that after more than a decade of declines in U.S. foster care caseloads, cases have risen steadily since 2012. Meanwhile, the number of foster care entries attributable to parental drug use rose substantially to 96,672 home removals from 39,130 removals between 2000 and 2017, reflecting a 147-percent increase during that period, according to the findings. “These findings suggest that greater parental drug use has contributed to increases in foster care caseloads and coincide with increasing trends in opioid use and overdose deaths nationwide during this period,” the study said. The authors noted the study’s limitations include potential reporting inconsistencies in parental drug use, and that it’s possible that factors other than drug use influenced entries for parental drug use. “Policymakers must ensure that the needs of this new wave of children entering foster care because of parental drug use are being met through [sic] high-quality foster care interventions,” the study said. “These have been shown to mitigate some of the adverse effects of early childhood deprivation and disruptions in attachment.” NQF Convenes Opioid Use Disorder TEP and Seeks Comment The National Quality Forum (NQF) will convene a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) to oversee a review of measures and concepts related to opioid use, opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. In its announcement, the NQF said the move is meant to “further identify measure gaps and priorities relevant to the United States opioid overdose epidemic and the broad healthcare quality challenges that surround it.” The TEP will provide guidance on the environmental scan of current measures; identify and prioritize measure gaps in quality measurement to inform future measure development efforts; and provide recommendations on the use of opioids and opioid use disorder measures in federal programs. The NQF will accept comments on this process through July 26. Also this week, the NQF together with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association releasedEnhancing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment, a guide that provides strategies, implementation examples, tools, and resources to help healthcare delivery systems, practitioners, and payers expand using MAT. Netflix Removes Suicide Scene from ‘13 Reasons Why’ Netflix Inc. has removed a suicide scene from an episode in the first season of its teen drama “13 Reasons Why” after some debate over whether the show increased the risk of teen suicide. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that although a Netflix spokesman declined to comment, the company tweeted on July 16 that, based on advice from medical experts, the company decided to edit the scene from the episode. The National Institutes of Health released a study in late April that suggested “13 Reasons Why”—which premiered in March 2017—was a factor in increased teen suicides in the United States (see CEO Update, May 3, 2019). HRSA Awards $20 million to 27 Organizations to Increase Rural Workforce HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) awarded about $20 million in Rural Residency Planning and Development Program (RRPD) grants to help boost the nation’s rural healthcare workforce. Recipients across 21 states will receive up to $750,000 over a three-year period to develop new rural residency programs. The funding is part of HRSA’s multi-year initiative to expand the physician workforce in rural areas by developing new, sustainable residency programs in family medicine, internal medicine, and psychiatry. Grant recipients include rural hospitals, community health centers, health centers that the Indian Health Service operates, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and schools of medicine. Click hereto the see the list of grant awards. SAMHSA Releases Guidance to States on Using MAT in Criminal Justice Settings The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a guide to states on using medication assisted treatment (MAT) in criminal justice settings. Use of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Criminal Justice Settings is a 76-page resource that focuses on using MAT for opioid use disorder in the nation’s jails and prisons during the reentry process when justice-involved persons return to the community. It provides an overview of policies and evidence-based practices that reduce the risk of overdose and relapse. SAMHSA to Host Virtual Learning Series on Recovery SAMHSA will host a three-part virtual learning series focused on recovery supports for people considering using MAT for opioid use disorder or co-occurring disorders. Held on consecutive Wednesday afternoons — July 24, July 31, and August 7 — each hourlong session will feature presenters who will address common misperceptions about MAT; offer up-to-date, accurate information; and suggest ways to learn more and educate others about opioid use disorders, co-occurring disorders, and MAT. These free events will take place from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Click here to register. For questions or comments about CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.