CEO Update 85

CMS Releases Fact Sheet for Medicare-Enrolled OTPs The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an 18-page fact sheet about Medicare billing and payment for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) that participate in the federal program. CMS began paying for enrolled OTPs to deliver opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services to Medicare beneficiaries on Jan. 1. The fact sheet includes information about a host of issues, including covered OUD treatment services, enrollment in Medicare Electronic Data Interchange, Medicare beneficiary eligibility, claims services, payment and remittance advice, payment issues, and other resources. The agency is now accepting and processing OTP enrollment applications. For more information, review the Medicare enrollment fact sheet. IPFQR Program Manual Version 5.1 Now Available CMS announced this week that the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Quality Reporting (IPFQR) Program Manual version 5.1 and the Release Notes version 5.1 are now available. The manual, which provides an overview of the IPFQR program and measure specifications, offers detailed instructions to register on the QualityNet Secure Portal; submit data using the web-based measures application; and understand IPFQR program preview report processes. CMS also issued the Release Notes version 5.1, which describes changes to the manual compared with the previous version. These resources are available on the Quality Reporting Center’s IPFQR Program Resources and Tools webpage. MACPAC Releases Report to Congress on Oversight of IMDs Fulfilling a SUPPORT Act requirement, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) has released its report to Congress on the oversight of Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs). “The IMD exclusion is one of the few instances in Medicaid where federal funding is not available for covered services based on the setting in which they are provided,” MACPAC noted in the 128-page overview. “It is important to note that, despite this longstanding payment exclusion, there are several other Medicaid authorities that states are using to make Medicaid payments for services provided in IMDs.” There were no recommendations in the report, which is intended instead to identify and describe IMDs in selected states—California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas—and provide a summary of state licensure, certification, or accreditation requirements, and Medicaid clinical and quality standards. Organized by five chapters, the report examines the history and federal policies related to the IMD exclusion, services provided in IMDs, regulation of facilities that are subject to the IMD exclusion, Medicaid standards for behavioral health facilities, and protections for patients in those facilities. SAMHSA Accepting Applications for Mental Health Grants The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting grant applications for programs that would address suicide prevention as well as planning and development to promote the mental health of children, youth, and families in American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) communities. SAMHSA plans to issue one grant of up to about $7.6 million each year for up to five years for its Suicide Prevention Resource Center grant. This program is intended to build national capacity for preventing suicide by providing technical assistance, training, and resources to assist states, tribes, communities, providers, practitioners, and members of the public on suicide-prevention strategies and best practices. The agency is also accepting applications for its Circles of Care grants, which would provide tribal and urban Indian communities with tools and resources to plan and design a holistic, evidence and community-based, coordinated system of care to support mental health for children, youth, and families in AI/AN communications. SAMHSA said it plans to issue 17 grants of up to $310,000 each year for up to three years. Grant applications for both programs are due by Monday, March 9. Click here for more information.  Nearly 60% of Rural Americans Say Opioid Addiction is a ‘Serious Problem’ in Their Community Almost 60% of Americans living in rural areas said opioid addiction is a “serious problem” in their community, according to a JAMA study published this week. The study examined the views of U.S. rural adults on serious health and economic concerns and found that 57% of rural adults reported opioid or other drug addiction or abuse as a serious problem in their community, while 49% of rural adults said they personally know someone who has died of an opioid addiction. “These findings suggest that in today’s economically stretched rural United States, opioid or other drug addiction or abuse has emerged as an equal problem with economic concerns,” researchers from Harvard and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation noted in the study’s conclusion. “One in three rural adults still have problems paying their medical bills even after the passage and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” View the 2020 Annual Meeting Preliminary Program and Register Today! The NABH 2020 Annual Meeting preliminary program is now available online. Please take a moment to view the program and register for the meeting. NABH will update the preliminary program periodically with session and speaker information, and all attendees will receive a final printed program at the Annual Meeting on Monday, March 16. Also please be sure to make your hotel reservation at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC. We look forward to seeing you in March! Final Call to Update Your NABH Membership Information! NABH is preparing the association’s 2020 Membership Directory. If you did not submit your updates by the Jan. 9 deadline, please contact Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, at emily@nabh.org. Thank you for your cooperation!  Fact of the Week Adults with mental health issues were 24% less likely overall to get screened for cancer compared with the general population. For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.