CEO Update 104
Psych Hub Releases Race, Racism & Mental Health Resources During Week of Protests
Mental health educational platform Psych Hub released Race, Racism, & Mental Health Resources for individuals and communities amid a week of national and global protests against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
Psych Hub compiled the list of resources on antiracism and Black mental health that includes links to organizations, online resources, books, and social media. “Experiencing and witnessing racism in any of its forms has traumatic effects that can build up with time and repetition,” the resources page noted.
Also this week, NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin made a statement on Twitter and LinkedIn that included a link to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) behavioral health equity page.
“Racism and all acts of discrimination cause suffering, fear, anxiety, and depression,” Coughlin said. “We must advocate for behavioral health equity: the right to access quality healthcare for all populations, regardless of a person’s race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographical location.”
NABH joined Psych Hub as a partner this year.
NABH Sends CMS Recommendations on Additional CoP
NABH this week sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) outlining the association’s concerns with additional conditions of participation (CoP) for behavioral healthcare providers and recommendations to provide some regulatory relief. The letter also urged continued expanded coverage of behavioral healthcare services via telehealth.
“The additional Conditions of Participations (CoP) for psychiatric hospitals and accompanying sub-regulatory guidance in the State Operations Manual (known as the B-tags) impose more than $625 million in additional costs annually, according to a recent study,” NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin wrote in the letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “The Covid-19 pandemic has added to the strain on these facilities with additional financial losses and unexpected costs, including those related to greatly increased personal protective equipment, screening everyone coming into the facility, additional staffing needs for screening, and other infection control measures, including isolation rooms and units, software and hardware purchases to facilitate telework for administrative staff and telehealth for patients, and lost revenue due to decreased patient volume because of infection concerns and reduced referrals,” he added.
NABH’s Covid-19 task force contributed to and reviewed the final letter, which is available on the association’s homepage and Covid-19 resources page.
HRSA Awards $20.3 Million to Expand Addiction Workforce in Underserved Communities
HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) this week announced it awarded $20.3 million to 44 recipients to increase the number of fellows at accredited addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellowship programs.
HRSA’s Addiction Medicine Fellowship program is part of the agency’s effort to fight the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis. The awardees will train addiction specialists at facilities in high-need communities that integrate behavioral and primary care services.
“The need for physicians with the expertise and skills to provide substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery services is essential,” HRSA Administrator Tom Engels said in a news release. “Addiction specialists can respond to patients’ specific behavioral health needs and help communities that are hit hardest by the opioid epidemic.”
Click here to view the list of award recipients.
Health Affairs Study Explores OUD Treatment of Commercially Insured Adults
A research article published in the journal Health Affairs this week explored treatment provided to people with opioid use disorder (OUD), rather than efforts to reduce prescriptions and misuse.
Analyzing claims data representing 12 million to 15 million nonelderly adults covered through commercial group insurance during the period 2008-2017, researchers examined rates of OUD diagnoses, treatment patterns, and spending, and they identified three essential patterns.
“The rate of diagnosed OUD nearly doubled during 2008-19, and the distribution has shifted toward older age groups; the likelihood that diagnosed patients will receive any treatment has declined, particularly among those ages 45 and older, because of a reduction in the use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and despite clinical evidence demonstrating its efficacy; and treatment spending is lower for patients who chose MAT,” the article noted.
The researchers noted these patterns suggest that policies supporting MAT use are “critical to addressing the undertreatment of OUD among the commercially insured” and that additional research is needed.
JAMA Commentary Examines Treating Patients with OUD in Their Homes
A late May commentary in JAMA examined an emerging treatment model for OUD in recent years that uses telehealth to provide medication treatment to patients in their homes.
The article notes that about 50,000 deaths from OUD overdose occur each year in the United States, and the prevalence of heroin use is increasing. And while more than 2 million people with an OUD need treatment and a rising number of individuals are receiving treatment, still less than 20% receive effective medications such as buprenorphine.
According to researchers, some telehealth companies have advertised the convenience of their model in leveraging telehealth services for OUD treatment. Meanwhile, the article suggests another potential benefit.
“By minimizing the need to travel and increasing privacy for patients who may not want to be seen seeking care,” the article noted, “these programs also could address the access challenges that are especially problematic for underserved patients.”
NABH System Members: Please Submit Your Annual Dues!
NABH thanks its members for the excellent work they do each day to advance NABH’s mission, most especially during this unprecedented, difficult time in our nation’s history. Our mission has never been more important than it is today.
This is a reminder to all NABH system members to please submit their annual dues payments if they have not done so already. NABH members’ active involvement and prompt payment are critical in helping our association achieve its vision and ensure that NABH remains the leading advocate for our nation’s behavioral healthcare providers.
As we continue to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic together, we want to be sure you receive information about the work we do and the resources we provide. Please visit our website at www.nabh.org and follow us on Twitter (@NABHbehavioral), LinkedIn, and YouTube. Also, please be sure to visit our Covid-19 webpage for important guidance, external links, and other resources.
Please contact NABH Director of Operations Maria Merlie if you have questions about your organization’s dues payment.
Fact of the Week
More than 88,000 additional people have developed anxiety or depression due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new data from Mental Health America’s online screening program.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.