HHS Provides More Information About Latest Covid Provider Relief Fund Announcement
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) this week hosted a webinar to provide details about the department’s recent
announcement that it is making available $25.5 billion in new Covid relief funding for providers.
The department also released some fact sheets, including one about the payment methodology for phase three funding, information about the application process and eligibility, and provider relief funding reporting requirements. These materials are posted on NABH’s Covid-19 resources
page.
NABH Comments on 2022 Medicare Physician Payment Schedule & OPPS Proposed Rules
NABH this week sent comment letters to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about two proposed rules for fiscal year 2022: the Physician Payment Schedule and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System.
In the physician payment schedule
letter, NABH provided an overview and statistics to support what behavioral healthcare providers have managed during the Covid-19 pandemic as the need for mental health and addiction treatment services continues to rise.
NABH strongly supported Medicare coverage of audio-only telehealth mental health services and opioid treatment program services; opposed the agency’s in-person requirement for coverage of telehealth for mental health services; opposed the CMS’ proposal to reduce reimbursement for behavioral health providers to implement budget-neutrality requirements; encouraged CMS to seek comments on reimbursing for contingency management services; and more.
Commenting on CMS’ hospital outpatient prospective payment system rule, NABH supported the agency’s proposals to use the 2021 calendar year reimbursement rates for partial hospital as the cost floor for 2022 rates and to use 2019 data to calculate the 2022 rates.
The association also recommended that CMS continue to cover partial hospitalization program services via audio-only telehealth.
“Our members are concerned that many of their more vulnerable patients are unemployed or under-employed and sometimes homeless and do not have access to video technology. Moreover, access to broadband service to support video and audio technology is often very limited in rural areas,” NABH’s
letter said. “These regions also face the most severe shortages of behavioral healthcare providers— particularly PHP providers,” it continued. “Limiting coverage to PHP services via telehealth to video and audio technology will limit the utility of telehealth for reaching individuals that face the greatest barriers to accessing PHP providers.
Virtual Congressional Briefing Next Week to Highlight How Recovery Supports Save Lives
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. will offer remarks at “Turning Policy Into Action—How Recovery Supports Save Lives,” a virtual congressional briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. ET.
Other speakers will include U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Rep. David McKinley, (R-W.Va.), and leaders from some addiction and recovery organizations.
Click
here to register.
Joint Webinar to Present New Directions for Substance Use Prevention is Sept. 27
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Partnership to End Addiction, and the American Psychological Association will host a webinar on Monday, Sept. 27 that will highlight how to establish a framework for an earlier and broad approach to substance use prevention.
Former NIDA Direct Nora Volkow, M.D. will serve as one of the speakers during the presentation, which will also help participants learn how to implement an earlier and broader approach using today’s policy environment.
The webinar will begin at noon ET. Click
here to register.
Reminder: NABH Denial-of-Care Portal is Open to Members
NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal is available for members to provide information about their experiences with managed care organizations that impose barriers to care through insurance-claim denials.
NABH’s Managed Care Committee worked for more than a year to develop the Denial-of-Care Portal as a way to collect specific data on insurers who deny care—often without regard for parity or the effects on patients.
This NABH member-only, survey-like tool allows users to add the name of a managed care organization, type of plan, level of care, type of care (mental health or substance use disorder), duration of approved treatment, duration of unapproved treatment, criteria used to deny a claim, and more.
The portal allows members to submit individual examples of claim denials or upload multiple entries via Excel. It also includes sections on appeals and physician participation. In time, the tool could be a valuable resource for the NABH team’s advocacy efforts.
Please e-mail
Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, if you have questions about the portal.
2021 NABH Annual Meeting Hotel Cut-Off Date is Today!
Please be sure to
reserve your hotel room today at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC for the 2021 NABH Annual Meeting.
The hotel’s room reservation cut-off date is today, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021.
And please visit our Annual Meeting
webpage to register for the meeting, learn about our speakers, and view the list of our exhibitors and sponsors.
We look forward to seeing you in Washington!
Fact of the Week
A new
survey of 1,250 U.S. military veterans who served in Afghanistan sometime between the period 2001-2021 showed that 90% of those veterans with a history of mental illness are experiencing new or worsening mental health systems since the Taliban takeover in late August.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.