SAMHSA Announces Monica Johnson as 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office Director
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
announced this week that Monica Johnson, M.A., LPC is the new director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office.
Johnson has worked in the behavioral health field for 26 years and most recently served as the interim commissioner for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities. SAMHSA’s announcement noted that Johnson has overseen and implemented successfully several programs funded through SAMHSA, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, and the U.S. Education Department.
Johnson earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from Kennesaw State University in Georgia and a graduate degree in professional counseling and psychology at Argosy University in Virginia. She is the recipient of the Intensive Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Schizophrenia Certification at the Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia.
CMS to Host Call About Administration Simplification Proposed Rule on Jan. 25
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Standards Group will host a call to discuss the
Administrative Simplification: Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachments Transactions and Electronic Signatures, and Modification to Referral Certification and Authorization Transaction proposed rule next Wednesday, Jan. 25 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.
The agency will use the 90-minutes session to provide an overview of the proposed rule and also offer background on the current standards, expectations of what the proposed rule is meant to do, and information about how to submit comments.
Click
here to register.
CMS to Host Educational Session on Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes Proposed Rule
The CMS Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics will host a virtual education about the
Advancing Interoperability and Improving Prior Authorization Processes proposed rule on
Thursday, Feb. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. ET.
On Dec. 6, CMS issued the prior authorization proposed
rule, which aims to improve patient and provider access to health information and streamline processes. Click here to read the agency’s fact
sheet.
Next month’s educational session is intended to help participants learn about the rule’s provisions and hear how the proposed rule builds on current CMS interoperability policies. Participants will be permitted to ask questions.
Click
here to register by Feb. 8.
ASAM to Release Training Module on Level of Care Certification Next Month
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) and CARF International announced that a training module to introduce updated rating elements to the ASAM Level of Care Certification (LOCC) will be available on Feb. 15.
ASAM and CARF International
announced the LOCC’s updated rating
elements in July 2022, and residential treatment programs that are applying for the ASAM LOCC for levels 3.1, 3.5, and 3.7 will be responsible for meeting the updated elements as part of their certification survey. These facilities will also be responsible for meeting the existing rating elements listed in the ASAM LOCC
manual.
Joint Commission Releases Sentinel Event Alert About Eliminating Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Pregnant and Postpartum Patients
The Joint Commission this week released a
Sentinel Event Alert about eliminating barriers and racial disparities causing mortality and morbidity in pregnant and postpartum women.
Along with the announcement, the Joint Commission released a
Quick Safety that addresses mental health conditions and their role in maternal death.
SAMHSA Publishes Guide on Expanding Access to Behavioral Healthcare Services for People Experiencing Homelessness
SAMHSA this week released a
guide that highlights strategies for behavioral healthcare and housing providers to conduct outreach and engage with individuals experiencing homelessness.
The new resource also includes strategies for how to initiate behavioral healthcare treatment as individuals wait to receive housing and retain them in their recovery efforts after they find housing.
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. Your data will help NABH highlight problems in the field related to health plan denials and timeliness.
Several policymaking entities are interested in these data, which could support advocacy for expanded access to care. For new participants, please e-mail
Emily Wilkins, NABH’s administrative coordinator, for support.
Details Coming Soon for the NABH 2023 Annual Meeting
Please plan to join us in Washington, DC from
June 12-14, 2023 for this year’s NABH Annual Meeting at the Salamander Washington, DC (formerly the Mandarin Oriental hotel). Details coming soon.
Fact of the Week
A recent
study found that those on medical addiction therapy had a 63% lower likelihood of an alcohol-related liver disease diagnosis.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.
