CEO Update 198
Reminder: Please Update Your Member Information for the 2024 NABH Membership Directory!
NABH is developing its online-only 2024 Membership Directory, an essential member benefit that helps the association in its advocacy efforts.
NABH has e-mailed system members a link to the association’s membership-update tool. To help ensure we have the most accurate information on our members, please use the link to our membership-update tool and verify your system’s information.
The answers to these questions will help us provide a more accurate description of our diverse membership to policymakers, regulators, partner organizations, and the media. Please be sure to enter information for all of your system’s facilities so that we have a better picture of our membership.
The deadline to submit your changes to NABH is Friday, Sept. 13. If you need assistance, please contact Maria Merlie maria@nabh.org or 202-393-6700, ext. 104.
As always, thank you for your time and for all you do to advance NABH’s Mission and Vision!
Legislative Preview: What to Expect from Congress This Fall
Following their annual August recess and respective party conventions, federal lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Monday, Sept 9 to determine next steps for funding the federal government and provide stop-gap funding for veterans’ benefits.
The House and Senate will continue to attempt to pass appropriations bills funding various federal agencies before the Sept. 30 deadline. Both chambers have passed respective appropriations bills for Labor and HHS with vastly different funding levels, which likely won’t be reconciled before the deadline.
Numerous other agency funding bills are still pending. Congressional leaders are already having conversations about passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government, which Congress will need to approve by Sept. 30 to stave off a government shutdown. The length of the CR will likely extend past the election or potentially after the 119 Congress takes office in January.
In addition, Congress will likely consider a $3 billion emergency aid bill that would cover veterans benefits and services as the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) warns of a nearly $14.9 billion shortfall through fiscal year 2025. A bipartisan group of appropriators and other senators intend to introduce legislation that would provide almost $2.3 billion in additional fiscal 2024 funding for the VA to cover compensation and pensions in the near term, along with almost $597 million for readjustment benefits. Without action from Congress by Sept. 20, the VA has warned it won’t be able to pay out roughly $3 billion in disability compensation, pension, and education benefits as early as Oct. 1. Because this is considered “must pass” legislation, Congress could attempt to add additional bills to this action.
Congress is expected to adjourn Sept. 27 after completing these tasks and return after the Nov. 5 elections. At that time, Congress will return to address unfinished business before the end of the year, commonly known as the “lame duck session.” Typically, most work during this session depends on which political party won majorities in the House and Senate during the November elections and whether there is a pending change in majority in either legislative chamber.
The outcome of the U.S. presidential race can also play a role in the level of activity during a lame duck session. Some congressional members might continue to push for an end-of-year health package, which could include reauthorizing the SUPPORT Act and a telehealth extension, among other priorities.
September is National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month
Next month marks National Recovery Month, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will commemorate the annual observance with a campaign focused on the four dimensions of recovery: health, home, purpose, and community.
Week One will emphasize health and will highlight choices that support well-being – such as eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, developing healthy sleeping habits, and managing other health issues –that can help support people with mental health and substance use conditions in their journey to recovery. Click here to access SAMHSA’s Recovery Month social media toolkit.
September is also Suicide Prevention Month, and SAMHSA has created a separate toolkit with hashtags and posts for the month and also World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10 to remember the lives of those lost to suicide.
Reminder: Join NABH for World Suicide Prevention Day Webinar on Sept. 10
Please join NABH on World Suicide Prevention Day, for a webinar that will feature two experts who will highlight HHS’ 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, a 10-year, comprehensive, societal approach to suicide prevention that provides concrete recommendations for addressing gaps in the suicide-prevention field.
NABH will welcome Julie Goldstein Grumet, Ph.D., vice president of suicide prevention strategy at the Education Development Center (EDC) and director of the EDC’s Zero Suicide Institute; and Colleen Carr, M.P.H., director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
Grumet and Carr will discuss the core strategic directions of the National Strategy; provide context on how these goals fit into current efforts by health systems, providers, and their partners in the field; highlight opportunities to support National Strategy implementation efforts; and what to expect – as well as how to engage – as the new strategy rolls out.
The discussion will also include an overview of key NABH priorities reflected in the new strategy, including workplace violence prevention and current efforts to protect and advance workforce wellbeing, including suicide prevention.
Please click here to register for this hourlong webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. ET.
HHS and DOJ to Host Webinar on Incarcerated Youth and Medicaid Next Week
HHS and the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) will host a webinar next Tuesday, Aug. 27 that will highlight policy approaches designed to connect justice-involved youth with Medicaid and CHIP services.
In late July, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a letter to state health officials that addressed the statutory requirements in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 regarding the availability of certain state plan services for incarcerated youth in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and modification of CHIP eligibility requirements for children who become incarcerated in juvenile or adult corrections systems.
During this webinar, HHS and DOJ leadership and subject matter experts will discuss how this opportunity will help advance health equity and build healthier and safer communities.
Click here to register for the webinar that will start at 2 p.m. ET.
SAMHSA Offers On-Demand Module on Motivational Interviewing Strategies for AUD
SAMHSA is offering an on-demand module to help physicians, physician associates, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals learn how to use Motivational Interviewing strategies as a guided approach to clinical interactions and fostering behavior change in patients with alcohol use disorder.
SAMHSA’s PCSS-MAUD Motivational Interviewing for Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment is a self-paced training program that addresses the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies of patient care, medical-based knowledge, and practice-based learning.
National Academies Examines Strategies to Improve Behavioral Healthcare Access in Medicare and Medicaid
The National Academies has released Expanding Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Participation Through Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace Plans, a new resource it developed after SAMHSA and CMS asked the not-for-profit institutions t convene a committee that would examine current challenges in ensuring broad access to evidence-based behavioral healthcare services through Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace programs—and propose strategies to address those challenges.
“Barriers to obtaining behavioral health treatment are most evident in populations receiving Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace plans,” the National Academies wrote in its description of the new resource. “Behavioral healthcare providers serving individuals enrolled in these plans are more likely to experience challenges around reimbursement and training, which disincentivizes participation.”
Join NABH for October Webinar on Using Publicly Available Data in Health Plan Negotiations
Please join NABH for a webinar to learn about using hospital data effectively in your negotiations with health plans on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024.
The webinar will feature Erica K. Fox, M.B.A., vice president of business development and managed care contracting at Perimeter Healthcare. A member of NABH’s Managed Care Committee, Fox will review the use of publicly available data from hospitals, such as payer-specific negotiated rates and standard charges for all payers and plans, to negotiate contracts with health plans.
Fox has more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in the behavioral health sector. Prior to her current role, she served as the business development director at Peachford Hospital, a Universal Health Services facility. Fox earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, where she received a dual degree in Communications and Spanish. She later earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Loyola University Chicago.
Please register here for this hourlong webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 16 starting at 2 p.m. ET. We hope you join us!
Reminder: Please Submit Data to NABH’s Denial-of-Care Portal
We urge all NABH members to join those already submitting data to our Denial-of-Care Portal.
We are beginning to use aggregated portal data to illustrate and compare prior authorization practices for commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid managed care denials.
Policymakers have expressed particular interest in our aggregate estimate on days of uncompensated charity care, as well as the length of delayed health plan responses to prior-authorization requests.
To support this advocacy push, we strongly encourage all NABH members to submit data to the portal. Please contact NABH Associate Manager for Congressional Affair Emily Wilkins with questions about the data metrics that we are collecting and/or the data-submission process.
Fact of the Week
The National Institutes of Health announced it has launched a program to advance research that will support Native American communities to lead research to address overdose, substance use, and pain, including factors such as mental health and wellness.
NABH will not publish CEO Update next Friday, Aug. 30. The NABH staff wishes you, your teams, and your families a safe and happy Labor Day weekend next week! CEO Update will resume on Friday, Sept. 6.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.