A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to increase the amount of federal funding aimed at combating the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, the new bill aims to make some COVID-19-era telehealth flexibilities permanent, among other changes. The legislation — the […]
Category: Regulation
As government enforcement action in behavioral health heats up, providers who work with commercial insurers may think they’re in the clear. But that’s not the case. Private payers can pose just as big of a threat and financial burden for behavioral health providers. And in fact, that risk is growing, according to lawyers who work […]
Telehealth has been vital in helping behavioral health providers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulatory flexibilities and payer leniency are largely to thank for that, but it’s unclear which of those freedoms will remain in place post-pandemic. Behavioral stakeholders from some of the health care industry’s largest organizations believe that data and provider input should ultimately […]
Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment stakeholders are asking the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make it easier for providers to use contingency management to help people overcome addiction. Contingency management uses positive reinforcement to motivate certain behaviors. In the case of SUD treatment, that […]
Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers have already been on a regulatory rollercoaster this year — and there could be even more changes ahead. As one of the Trump administration’s final moves in office in January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it was nixing the X-waiver requirement for DEA […]
In what is thought to be the first case of fraudulent enrollment of individuals under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a Southern California father and son have been fined and sentenced to federal prison for falsely signing up individuals for drug treatment at rehab centers. Jeffrey White, 63, and his son, Nicholas White, 35, had […]
At Landmark Recovery’s nine inpatient recovery centers across the U.S., patients battling opioid use disorder (OUD) only get access to buprenorphine for short stints, usually as a detox medication. But Senior Medical Director Melvin Pohl would like to start offering the drug as part of long-term treatment, with patients being referred to community providers who […]
Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers in certain states serve Medicaid beneficiaries better than others. It all depends on whether they operate in a state with a waiver allowing them to bypass the Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion, according to new research published in the February issue of Health Affairs. Not only do providers […]
Whistleblower lawsuits filed under the False Claims Act (FCA) were up last fiscal year, with the increase hitting the behavioral health industry especially hard. Those are just a couple takeaways from Bass, Berry & Sims’ recent 2020 Healthcare Fraud & Abuse Review. The law firm publishes the report annually to document health care fraud and […]
The number of certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) nationwide just skyrocketed thanks to a slew of newly released grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This week SAMHSA awarded CCBHC grants to 134 clinics, bringing the total number of CCBHCs nationwide up to 340 — an increase of nearly 50% […]
Sign up
Receive industry updates and breaking news from Behavioral Health Business