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CEO Update 150

Federal Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Behavioral Health IT Legislation

Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) recently introduced the Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Coordination Act to improve coordination of mental and physical healthcare by supporting behavioral healthcare providers’ efforts to adopt health IT systems.                                   NABH is proud to support the BHIT Coordination Act, which:
  • Provides $20 million a year in grant funding over five fiscal years (FY25-29) to finance behavioral health IT adoption through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).
  • Requires a report to Congress on the number and type of behavioral healthcare providers that receive the grant, their ability to electronically exchange patient health information with other provider types, and clinical and non-clinical outcomes for patients.
  • Directs ONC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop voluntary behavioral health IT standards.
  • Directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), SAMHSA, and ONC to develop joint guidance on how states can use Medicaid authorities and funding sources to promote the adoption and interoperability of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology for behavioral health providers.
“Robust, interoperable EHRs are a core clinical and operational tool to expand coordinated, high-quality care – and now we must ensure that all of our behavioral health providers have access to these vital IT systems,” Rep. Matsui said in an announcement about the bill. “Despite widespread recognition of the value of health IT, behavioral health providers do not have the resources to utilize these tools,” she added. “The Behavioral Health IT Coordination Act will bridge this gap and ensure we invest the necessary resources for widespread adoption throughout the behavioral health community.” Rep. Matsui originally co-authored H.R. 3331, a bill to promote testing of incentive payments for behavioral healthcare providers to adopt and use certified electronic health record technology. In 2018, Congress included this legislation as Section 6001 of the SUPPORT Act. The BHIT Coordination Act seeks dedicated funding to fulfill the objectives of her previous efforts.

DEA Revises Existing Regulations to Expand Access to OUD Treatment Medication

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this week issued a final rule pursuant to the Easy Medication Access and Treatment of Opioid Addiction Act (the Act) that revises existing regulations to expand access to medications for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The Act directed DEA to revise its regulation to allow practitioners to dispense not more than a three-day supply of narcotic drugs to one person for one person’s use at one time to initiate maintenance treatment, detoxification treatment, or both. SAMHSA Report Highlights Cost and Financing Strategies for Coordinated Specialty Care for First- Episode Psychosis SAMHSA has released Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis: Costs and Financing Strategies, which offers states financing strategies to provide critical services for first-episode psychosis. SAMHSA estimates 100,000 people in the United States experience first-episode psychosis. Coordinated Specialty Care, or CSC, is a multi-component, evidence-based, early intervention service for individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis who can improve their quality of life and social and clinical outcomes. The new report provides an overview of the costs and outcomes of providing services for first episode psychosis and strategies for financing the services in different states.

FDA Recommends Minimum of Six Months for Pivotal OUD Device Trials

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released guidance cautioning device makers developing products to treat OUD to proceed carefully as they design clinical studies, recommending pivotal trials last at least six months. “Appropriate study duration is necessary because OUD is a condition with a high rate of relapse, and brief intervals of modification of drug use are unlikely to confer significant clinical benefit,” the guidance noted. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D. said in a statement that the guidance should prompt industry to collect more comprehensive, timely, and diverse data to support device submissions that may help improve the lives of those with OUD. “These and similar efforts will continue to advance within the agency, with the input from industry, stakeholders, and, most importantly, those managing opioid use disorder,” Califf added. Public comments about the guidance are due by Thursday, Oct. 26.

Biotech Company Cessation to Initiate U.S. Clinical Trial for Drug to Prevent Fentanyl Overdose

Clinical-stage biotechnology company Cessation has announced the FDA has authorized the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based company to initiate a clinical trial this month for CSX-1004, a monoclonal antibody designed specifically to prevent fentanyl overdose. The clearance follows the FDA’s review and approval of Cessation’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application and serves as a launching point for Cessation’s first in-human clinical trials, according to the company’s announcement. Cessation’s IND summarized years of the company’s safety and manufacturing data and included a detailed description of the planned clinical study in humans.   Cessation’s announcement said CSX-1004 works by sequestering fentanyl molecules as they enter the bloodstream, effectively neutralizing them in the blood before they reach the brain and preventing them from exerting their harmful effects.

Reminder: 2023 NABH Annual Meeting Photos Now Available

NABH is pleased to share photos from the 2023 Annual Meeting: Security the Promise of Parity. If you choose to download and use a photo, please credit photographer Chris Ferenzi. Thank you. Click here to learn more about the training.

Reminder: Please Submit Data to Enhance NABH’s Managed-Care Advocacy Efforts

Thank you to all members who have submitted data to NABH’s denial-of-care portal! We are still seeking data from additional members to support advocacy on health plan denials and prior-authorization timeliness. If you are a new participant, please e-mail NABH Administrative Coordinator Emily Wilkins for support.

CEO Update During the Congressional August Recess

NABH will publish CEO Update only on Friday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 25 during the congressional August recess.

Fact of the Week:

A recent study published in Neuropharmacology suggests that central Ghrelin receptors (GHSR) mediate binge-like alcohol intake. These data reveal novel pharmacological compounds with translational potential in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and provide further evidence of the GHSR as a potential treatment target for AUD, the study noted. The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism published the study. For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.