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As the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) draws to a close at the end of Thursday, May 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has shared with NABH and other stakeholders the agency’s plans to end telehealth coverage for partial hospitalization program (PHP) services  implemented during the PHE.

In addition, CMS has explained that telehealth coverage will continue through December 2024 for Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) services that qualify under the outpatient prospective payment system as “remote mental health services.”

NABH continues to communicate with key Members of Congress to clarify the legislative intent behind the telehealth coverage extensions that were authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 last December. The NABH team understands that some Members of Congress intended for the telehealth coverage extension to include PHP services.

Given the persistent confusion on these matters, NABH has urged CMS to issue clarification in writing. NABH will keep members apprised of our efforts to extend telehealth coverage for PHP services.  

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Narcan, 4 mg. naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC), non-prescription use, making it the first naloxone product approved to use without a prescription.

Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose rapidly and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose. The FDA’s action today clears the way for this life-saving medication to be sold directly to consumers in drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, and online.

The move comes at a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released provisional data this month that showed 101,751 reported U.S. fatal overdoses in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, while the predicted number of fatal doses for that period is even higher at 107,689.

“Today’s approval of OTC naloxone nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D said in today’s announcement. “We encourage the manufacturer to make accessibility to the product a priority by making it available as soon as possible and at an affordable price.”

According to the FDA, the manufacturer determines the timeline for availability and price of this OTC product. Click here to learn more.