CEO Update 140
| New Milliman Study Analyzes Behavioral Healthcare Utilization During Covid-19 Pandemic An analysis of insurance claims comparing the same periods in 2019 and 2020 found that mental health and substance use disorder inpatient admissions dropped through April 2020—similar to decreases seen in physical healthcare services—but that subsequent behavioral health inpatient admissions increased through August 2020 at a much higher rate than medical services, with admission rates exceeding 2019 levels in the third quarter. That was especially true among the Medicaid population, according to the new Milliman study that the Well Being Trust released this week. The report examined 12.5 million individuals’ commercial insurance, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicare fee-for-service, and Medicare Advantage claims between January-August 2019 and January-August 2020. The analysis seeks to understand how Covid-19 affected mental healthcare in a similar, and, at times, different, way than it did medical healthcare. “When Covid-19 forced people to press pause on receiving non-emergent care, there was a lot of conversation about the impact delayed care would have on individuals unknowingly living with cancer, cardiac, or chronic conditions,” Benjamin F. Miller, Psy.D., chief strategy officer at Well Being Trust, said in an announcement about the report. “There was noticeably less conversation about the impact this would have on the millions of Americans confronting mental health and addiction issues, for whom there were already barriers to care even before the global pandemic.” The study also found that with the exception of Medicare beneficiaries, when remote healthcare utilization was factored into individuals’ overall behavioral healthcare utilization numbers, there were primarily year-over-year increases across all insured populations. “Mental healthcare utilization increased among the Medicaid population between 2019 and 2020, and only decreased by 1% in March and May among the commercially insured population,” the study noted. NABH Supports SERVE Act During National Eating Disorders Awareness Week NABH supports the Supporting Eating Disorders Recovery through Vital Expansion (SERVE) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced during this National Eating Disorders Awareness Week that would ensure TRICARE, the U.S. military’s health insurance program, provides members of the military and their families with comprehensive treatment for eating disorders. “According to a recent study published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, at least 28.8 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime,” Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said in a news release about the legislation. “These disorders affect individuals from all backgrounds. But for service members and their families, some are not eligible to receive higher level eating disorders care under TRICARE due to their age,” he continued. “Our bipartisan bill extends the age limit for beneficiaries to the Medicare eligibility age for TRICARE coverage of eating disorders care, ensuring those who served our nation and their families have access to the support they deserve.” Katko introduced the bill with Reps. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) and Seth Moulton (D-Mass.). The legislation calls for healthcare services to treat eating disorders at both hospital-based and freestanding facilities that offer inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient services. The SERVE Act would require the U.S. Defense secretary to take action to identify, treat, and rehabilitate service members affected by eating disorders, and also direct the U.S. Defense Department to establish clinical practice guidelines on eating disorder treatment. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced a companion bill in the Senate earlier this month. Center for Connected Health Policy Releases Updated Telehealth Billing Guide The Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) this week released an updated telehealth billing guide for healthcare organizations managing the complexities of billing for telehealth and virtual services. First released in 2020, the updated billing guide addresses whether or not there is reimbursement for telehealth both generally and/or during the Covid-19 public health emergency, as well as how to bill correctly for a telehealth service, which CCHP said is one of the most common policy questions it receives as the National Telehealth Policy Resource Center. “Further complicating the billing process is the need to understand whether current rules are only applicable during the pandemic as well as the fact that payer policies continue to vary from payer to payer,” the CCHP said in a news release. “For example, policies that apply to a Medicare beneficiary remain different than those that apply to a state Medicaid enrollee or to patients that have private insurance.” The 30-page guide includes infographics that highlight various patient scenarios, as well as a page of resources available in different regions of the country. SAMHSA to Host Opioid Crisis Webinar Next Week SAMHSA Chief Medical Officer Neeraj Gandotra, M.D. will lead a panel of experts in a webinar to explore how healthcare providers, government agencies, and not-for-profit organizations can work together to address the nation’s ongoing opioid crisis. Healthcare software company WellSky will present the webinar, which is intended to help registrants learn about effective care coordination, effective strategies to produce better outcomes, and how advocates are working to align patient data sharing with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, March 25 at 1 p.m. Click here to register. Register to Attend the 2021 Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit The annual Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit, known as the largest annual conference that addresses America’s opioid and addiction crises, will be held virtually this year from April 5-8. The conference 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. 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: * June 13-15, 2022 * June 12-14, 2023 We look forward to seeing you again in Washington! Fact of the Week Data pooled from 65 studies involving 97,333 healthcare workers across 21 countries identified a high prevalence of moderate depression, anxiety, and PTSD among healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Appropriate support is urgently needed,” the report concluded. “The response would benefit from additional research on which interventions are effective at mitigating these risks.” For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond |