CEO Update 91
Insurers Sign Settlement with Massachusetts Attorney General Over Mental Health Parity
Five large Massachusetts health insurers and two behavioral healthcare companies on Thursday signed a settlement with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey regarding allegations that the organizations violated the state’s mental health parity laws.
A statement from Healey’s office said a number of the state’s healthcare companies have under-reimbursed mental healthcare services; imposed unlawful barriers, including prior authorization requirements for behavioral health services that were not required for comparable physical health services and could not be justified under the Parity Act; and had inaccuracies in their provider directories. The companies will pay a combined $1 million for a fund to promote initiatives to broaden access to mental health.
The settlement involves Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and its behavioral health management company United Behavioral Health, which does business as Optum, Fallon Health and its behavioral health management company Beacon Health Strategies, Always Health Partners, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Tufts Health Plan.
“Treatment for substance use disorder and access to therapy are vital to public health, but too many people are facing unlawful barriers to the care they need,” Healey said in the statement. “These companies are making substantial and unprecedented changes to help ensure patients don’t have to struggle to find behavioral health services in Massachusetts.”
DEA Eases Regulations for Mobile Methadone
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) this week proposed a regulation that revises the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to permit narcotic treatment programs (NTPs)—opioid treatment programs, detoxification services that use methadone, and compounders— to operate mobile components, or mNTPs, without separate registrations.
The rule also proposes requirements related to security, recordkeeping, reporting, and inventory. The purpose of the rulemaking is to address the opioid epidemic by expanding access to methadone treatment, especially for residents of rural and underserved communities.
Learn more here from the NABH Issue Brief about the proposed rule.
CDC Requests Information on Workplace Supported Recovery
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is seeking feedback on a NIOSH plan to develop resources and conduct research on Workplace Supported Recovery.
Workplace Supported Recovery programs help workers and employers facing the nation’s opioid crisis and other substance use disorders.
Click here to learn more about the request for information.
CMS Requests Public Comments on Rural Maternal and Infant Healthcare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a request for information regarding rural maternal and infant healthcare to improve access, quality, and outcomes for women in rural communities before, during, and after pregnancy.
Click here to read the agency’s Issue Brief on maternal healthcare in rural communities, and here to learn more about CMS’ request for information.
NABH Endorses NSC’s National Plan to Address Opioid Misuse
NABH this week joined more than 50 other organizations to endorse the National Safety Council’s National Plan to Address Opioid Misuse, which is intended for any presidential candidate to adopt as a roadmap to tackle America’s opioid crisis.
The plan offers solutions for the entire lifecycle of addiction, from prevention to recovery. It also offers recommendations that address the role prescribers play and that improve training and education of the non-addiction specialist medical workforce, including primary care, emergency department, Acura Care, and nw ark health professionals.
Kirsten Beronio Joins NABH as New Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs
NABH is pleased to welcome Kirsten Beronio as the association’s new director of policy and regulatory affairs, effective Feb. 24.
Kirsten comes to NABH with more than 20 years of experience developing mental health and substance use disorder policy in leadership positions she has held in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government and at Mental Health America.
“Kirsten’s background in developing, implementing, and advocating for policies that help people struggling with mental health and substance use disorder positions her well for this role, and we are thrilled to have her join our team,” NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin said in a Feb. 24 news release.
Most recently Kirsten served as the senior policy advisor for behavioral health in the Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2016 to 2020.
Before that, Kirsten worked as the first division director for behavioral health and intellectual disabilities policy in HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. In addition to developing this new division from its inception, Kirsten served as a subject matter expert focused on federal parity legislation and regulations, implementation of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and various healthcare financing policies in Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP. Kirsten earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from Georgetown University.
At NABH, Kirsten will oversee quality and regulatory issues and will serve as the staff liaison for the Youth Services and Quality Committees.
2020 NABH Online Membership Directory Now Available
NABH this week released its 2020 online Membership Directory to help clinicians, hospital admissions staff, employee assistance directors, school counselors, policymakers, journalists, patient advocates, and families identify systems and facilities that provide essential behavioral healthcare services.
This is the second year NABH has made the Membership Directory available online, and the first year it is available only in a digital format. 2020 also marks the first time NABH has made the directory available to the general public.
“We are eager to share this useful resource with the public at a time when the need for quality behavioral healthcare services has never been greater,” NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin said in a Feb. 26 news release. “We hope people will find it helpful and share it with others who are looking for mental health or substance use treatment in their area.”
Directory information includes each NABH system member’s name, leadership, address, phone number, and website, as well as the behavioral healthcare facilities that each system operates.
Please call NABH at 202-393-6700 or e-mail nabh@nabh.org if you have questions.
NIMH, CDC Leaders to Address Attendees at NABH 2020 Annual Meeting
NABH is pleased to welcome federal healthcare officials from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the CDC at the Annual Meeting in Washington next month.
Please join us on Tuesday, March 17 at 8:30 a.m. to hear from Joshua Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., director of the NIMH, whose work has had direct relevance to schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and depression. And on Wednesday, March 18 at 9 a.m., NABH will welcome Debra Houry, M.D., M.P.H., director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Dr. Houry, who completed her residency training in emergency medicine, will discuss adverse childhood experiences, overdose, and suicide.
Learn more about Drs. Gordon and Houry and our other Annual Meeting speakers on our Annual Meeting Speakers page. We look forward to seeing you next month in Washington!
Fact of the Week
Despite the number of people in recovery, nearly 89% of the estimated 20.2 million Americans who met the criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD) in 2018 did not receive specialized treatment for their condition.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond