Biden Administration Releases Drug-Policy Priorities for Year One
The Biden administration on Thursday released a
statement outlining its first-year, drug-policy priorities to address America’s overdose and addiction crises.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Acting Director Regina LaBelle noted in an announcement that these priorities will complement President Biden’s
American Rescue Plan, which includes an investment of nearly $4 billion in behavioral health services.
In the next year, the ONDCP will work across government to implement seven priorities:
- Expanding access to evidence-based treatment
- Advancing racial equity in our approach to drug policy
- Enhancing evidence-based harm reduction efforts
- Supporting evidence-based prevention efforts to reduce youth substance use
- Reducing the supply of illicit substances
- Advancing recovery-ready workplaces and expanding the addiction workforce
- Expanding access to recovery support services
The strategy identified several issues that NABH has discussed with the ONDCP, including, but not limited to, enforcing parity, improving reimbursement for services, permitting medications through telehealth without an in-person evaluation, and removing policy barriers to using contingency management and motivational incentives.
In addition, harm reduction appears to have a more visible role in the Biden administration than with previous administrations, as do issues related to workforce, recovery-ready workplaces, and recovery-support services.
Final Rule to Implement Cures Act Interoperability Requirements Takes Effect April 5
A regulation to implement interoperability requirements outlined in the
21st Century Cures Act and prohibit “information blocking” takes effect Monday, April 5.
Information blocking is defined as a practice by a health information technology (IT) developer, health information network, health information exchange, or healthcare provider that is likely to interfere with access, exchange, or use of electronic health information. There are certain exceptions.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has
posted information clarifying what qualifies as information blocking, as well as a number of exceptions.
CMS Alerts Providers that Repayment of Covid-19 Accelerated and Advance Began March 30
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week alerted Medicare-participating providers that the federal agency began recovering Covid-19 Accelerated and Advance Payments (CAAPs).
A special edition
MLN (Medicare Learning Network) Matters article informed all Medicare providers and suppliers who requested and received CAAPs that the agency began recovering those payments as early as March 30, depending upon the one-year anniversary of when providers received their first payment.
“Please be sure your billing staff are aware that the recovery has begun, or will begin soon, but no sooner than 1 year from the date we issued the CAAP to you,” the article said.
Bipartisan Policy Center Report Urges Congress to Integrate Primary Care and Mental Health & SUD Services
The Bipartisan Policy Center on Thursday released
Tackling America’s Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Through Primary Care Integration, a 124-page report with legislative and regulatory recommendations to integrate behavioral health into primary care.
“Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the unmet need for mental health and substance use services in the United States was significant,” the report noted. “Alarmingly, less than half of adults with mental health conditions received services in 2019, and the percentage was even lower in Black and Latino communities,” it continued. “As for substance use, nearly 90% of people with a substance use disorder did not receive treatment.”
The report highlights these essential recommendations: establish core, minimum standards for integration; drive integration in new and existing value-based payment models; expand, train, and diversify the workforce for integrated care teams; and promote the use of EHRs, telehealth, and other technology to support integrated care.
“Broader use of EHRs is critical for improving coordination among the different levels of behavioral healthcare, including inpatient, residential, and outpatient providers of mental health and addiction treatment,” NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin said in a news release about the report from the Behavioral Health Information Technology Coalition, of which NABH is a member. “The lack of federal funding to help behavioral healthcare providers implement health information technology has contributed significantly to relatively lower EHR use by these providers compared with other healthcare providers.”
The Bipartisan Policy also developed
infographics that highlight the recommendations outlined in the report.
Next Week’s Virtual Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit to Feature President Biden
President Biden will deliver a recorded message to attendees at next week’s virtual Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit on Monday, April 5 at 10:15 a.m. ET.
Featured during the conference’s opening plenary session, the president’s remarks will focus on the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce overdose rates and save lives.
Registration is still available for the 10
th annual conference, which will present more than 75 sessions across nine educational tracks and will cover topics ranging from prevention and treatment to public safety and technology.
NABH Director of Quality and Addiction Services Sarah Wattenberg will present with representatives from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Veterans Affairs Department in a session titled, “Federal and Private Sector Responses to Opioid Treatment Issues During the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
For additional information, download the conference
brochure, and click
here to register.
NIMH Issues Notice of Special Interest in Research to Examine Covid-19’s Mental Health Effects on Children
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has issued a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) to highlight interest in research to understand the mental health effects of Covid-19 pandemic on school-aged children, specifically those between the ages of 3 and 12.
The NOSI said the NIMH is interested particularly in the potential impact of primary instruction setting disruptions, such as pre-school and elementary school, on the mental health, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children.
“Empirical data would aid in balancing health risks for various public health mitigation strategies affecting children in the current pandemic as well as inform how to both be prepared and respond to future public health emergencies, including pandemics and disaster scenarios,” the noticed said.
Applications are due starting June 5 and ending on Sept. 8, 2021. Click
here to learn more.
Save the Date: NABH 2021 Annual Meeting
NABH will host its 2021 Annual Meeting from Wednesday, Oct. 6 – Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC.
The association re-scheduled for this later date in 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We hope you can join us!
After 2021, NABH will host its subsequent Annual Meetings in June. Please save the date for these future NABH Annual Meetings:
We look forward to seeing you again in Washington!
Fact of the Week
From Jan. 20, 2021–Feb. 1, 2021, more than two in five adults aged 18 or older experienced symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder during the past seven 7 days. Meanwhile, one in four adults who experienced these symptoms
reported that they needed but did not receive counseling or therapy for their mental health.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond