As fentanyl proliferates the illicit drug market and opioid-related overdoses surge, access to the life-saving medication methadone is more critical than ever. Efforts to increase access to take-home methadone have paid off, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) cemented COVID-era flexibilities earlier this year. For substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers […]
Primary care providers have increasingly offered patients medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) since the Drug Addiction Treatment Act (DATA) of 2000 allowed certain physicians outside of the psychiatry field to prescribe these medications. Low-barrier access to MOUDs, including naltrexone and buprenorphine, can play a meaningful role in combating the opioid use epidemic, which resulted […]
Five U.S. states are now allowed to provide incarcerated people with coverage for substance use disorder (SUD) care and other services before their release. Medicaid traditionally does not provide SUD treatment to otherwise eligible people who are incarcerated in jails, prisons or youth correctional facilities. Now, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]
Cases of eating disorders are on the rise nationally, bringing about an influx of providers in recent years. Within the last year, the industry began to see eating disorder providers shutter or scale back their programming. The fall of some eating disorder providers may come down to an over-prioritization of margins rather than the mission, […]
New research reveals significant gaps in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment coverage across state Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), potentially leaving many patients without access to crucial care. MCOs cover the majority of Medicaid enrollees in the U.S., and SUD disproportionately impacts Medicaid populations. Over 20% of Medicaid enrollees have an SUD, compared with 16% […]
The U.S. has entered the “fourth wave” of the overdose epidemic, characterized by skyrocketing use of stimulants like methamphetamine. A new study found that a duo of drugs is effective at curbing methamphetamine-positive drug tests by 27% compared to a placebo. “These findings have important implications for pharmacological treatment for methamphetamine use disorder,” Michael Li, […]
After a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, lower courts will now have more say in behavioral health care regulation. In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court overruled a 40-year decision known as the Chevron doctrine that required lower courts to defer to federal agencies on the interpretation of unclear statutes. “Chevron is overruled,” […]
Anorexia nervosa has among the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorder. This trend is leading some behavioral health providers to strengthen collaborations with hospices in an effort to improve quality outcomes. Research shows that more than 5% of patients die within four years of a diagnosis from a variety of medical causes. Clinicians and […]
Reports of abuse and neglect have increasingly rang alarm bells about the lack of oversight of children in residential behavioral health facilities. A new report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that almost one-third of states fail to collect the information that could identify patterns of maltreatment among foster children in residential facilities. […]
A federal judge reeled back regulations prohibiting health care providers’ use of third-party tracking technologies, a move that has previously embroiled behavioral health providers. The ruling concluded that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) bulletin establishing guidance on potential privacy concerns “went too far.” The American Hospital Association (AHA) and three other […]
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