CEO Update 115
2020 NABH Annual Survey Opens Today!
Data collection for the 2020 NABH Annual Survey starts today, Friday, Aug. 28. Your participation in this survey will help NABH continue to provide an accurate, up-to-the-minute picture of the U.S. behavioral healthcare industry. This year NABH has added a few new questions related to substance use to help us better measure our membership’s activities.
NABH’s contractor, Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, will conduct the NABH Annual Survey again this year. Dobson DaVanzo & Associates brings extensive data-analysis experience and data-security expertise to this project. The firm has analyzed data for the last several NABH Annual Surveys.
Dobson DaVanzo will send personalized links to the survey instrument via e-mail directly to the CEOs of all NABH-member organizations. If you receive a request to participate in the survey, please respond as soon as possible.
The 2020 online entry form will provide a personalized, secure e-mail link for each facility. You will be able to enter, save, and review data— and review that data internally with others in your organization who have completed the survey—until you click “Done” on the survey’s last page. After you click “done,” you may not make changes.
The survey data are used in dozens of ways to help protect mental health and addiction treatment benefits; ensure fair and adequate payments; improve patient care; and communicate trends to the media, payers, benefit consultants, and the public.
Within your organization, you can also use the NABH aggregate data you will receive to measure how your facility compares with national trends. Because the survey collects the most current information about the field, it can provide a valuable perspective for administrative and clinical operations. The NABH Annual Survey Report is an invaluable strategic planning tool as well as a reference document every behavioral healthcare organization should have.
If you have any questions or suggestions about this survey, please contact Shawn Coughlin or
Kirsten Beronio.
Thank you for your time. We appreciate your help in making us stronger advocates for you and your teams!
HHS Extends Provider Relief Fund Phase 2 General Distribution Deadline to Sept. 13
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the deadline to apply for Phase 2 General Distribution Funding for Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Children’s Health Insurance Program, dental providers, and certain Medicare providers until Sunday, Sept. 13.
This funding is through the Provider Relief Fund, which the federal government established in this year’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. These payments do not need to be repaid to the government if providers comply with terms and conditions.
HHS has extended this Phase 2 General Distribution Funding deadline before, with the latest deadline scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28. Providers now have a few extra weeks to apply.
Click here to read HHS’ six steps to applying for the Phase 2 General Distribution.
CMS Makes Covid-19 Data Collection a Requirement in Conditions of Participation
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring Covid-19 data collection and reporting as a condition of participation (CoP) for hospitals participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, including psychiatric facilities.
CMS added the requirement with other provisions in an interim final rule and said it will accept comments for 60 days. The rule noted the requirement will become effective when it is published in the Federal Register, although it did not list a specific date.
Under the new requirement, hospitals will need to report daily data, including—but not limited to—the number of confirmed or suspected Covid-19 positive patients, intensive care unit beds occupied, and the availability of supplies and equipment, such as ventilators and personal protective equipment.
CMS warned in the rule that if a hospital fails to comply with this new CoP, it could face possible termination from the federal healthcare programs.
NABH Supports ‘Eliminating the Provider Relief Fund Tax Penalties Act’
NABH is one of 29 healthcare advocacy organizations this week to support the Eliminating the Provider Relief Fund Tax Penalties Act, a bill that would offer some financial relief to healthcare providers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Congress’ allocation of $175 billion in financial support to healthcare professionals through this year’s Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) has done much to help the healthcare community provide critical services to patients. At the same time, PHSSEF assistance is taxable, which results in a reduction of 21% or more to the benefit for taxpaying healthcare professionals, compared with non-taxpaying healthcare professionals.
“This negative impact penalizes those who care for our nation’s most vulnerable,” the organizations wrote in a letter to House and Senate lawmakers. “The passage of H.R. 7819/S. 4525 would remove the negative tax implications for PHSSEF recipients by ensuring that all Provider Relief Fund assistance is not taxable, while maintaining that expenses tied to this assistance are tax-deductible.”
Urban Institute Study Examines Naloxone Products and Pricing in Medicaid, 2010-2018
Medicaid enrollees’ naloxone options will remain limited—and could potentially worsen the nation’s overdose crisis—without new federal policies that regulate prices and/or promote robust price competition, according to new research from the Urban Institute.
For the study, researchers tracked changes in Medicaid spending from 2010-2018 on naloxone, its price per unit, and Medicaid-covered naloxone prescriptions for generic naloxone products, the brand-name Narcan nasal spray, and the Evzio autoinjector.
“We find dramatic increases in Medicaid prescriptions for and spending on naloxone between 2010 and 2018,” Senior Research Associate Lisa Clemans-Cope and her team concluded in the study. “This may partially owe to the new naloxone formulations that offer advantages in administration,” the study’s authors wrote, adding that needle-free naloxone nasal spray is highly effective and easy to use, while the quick-acting autoinjector naloxone works for people with nasal abnormalities, which make up a substantial share of those with opioid use disorder.
“Ideally, prescribers could write naloxone prescriptions suited to each Medicaid patient’s circumstances,” the researchers wrote. “However, we find that the autoinjector formulation was not offered in any state Medicaid program in 2018, likely because of their very high and variable prices per prescription in years prior and lack generic equivalents.”
SAMHSA Accepting Applications for Disaster Response State Grant Program
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for its Disaster Response State Grant Program, which is meant to provide mental and substance use disorder treatment, crisis counseling, and other related supports for adults and or school-aged children affected by hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, and earthquakes during 2018.
The agency said it plans to issue about 17 grants of up to $7 million per year for one year and will accept applications through Wednesday, Sept. 2. Click here to learn more.
SAMHSA Helpline Offers 24/7 Crisis Counseling Services
As Americans withstand the effects of Hurricane Laura and California’s wildfires, NABH reminds all members that SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
NABH thanks its members for providing essential behavioral healthcare services in the nation’s disaster areas during an already difficult time.
Looking Ahead: September is Suicide Prevention Month
The National Action Alliance (Action Alliance) for Suicide Prevention has developed several resources to help build awareness about suicide prevention during Suicide Prevention Month in September.
To help in the effort, please see the Action Alliance’s #BeThere activities and use the hashtag #BeThere to educate your organization’s social media followers. In addition, the group has scheduled a #BeThere Twitter chat on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. ET and will host National AI/AN Hope for Life Day on Sept. 10. That event falls during Suicide Prevention Week, which is Sept. 6-12.
Click here for the Hope for Life Day toolkit and visit the Action Alliance’s #BeThere webpage for more information.
Fact of the Week
In April, 64% of the U.S. population reported feeling “nervous on several or more days.” That increased by five percentage points to 69% by July, according to a Census Bureau survey.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.