The nation is finally starting to realize the importance of behavioral health care. As a result, providers have more reimbursement options than ever. Commercial payers have become a bigger part of the picture thanks to parity requirements, and Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement opportunities continue to grow. But with more money comes more problems, especially on […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put out its initial COVID-19 vaccine distribution recommendations. While the guidelines are good news for most health care workers, it’s unclear what they mean for behavioral health care providers. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on Tuesday to make the recommendations, which will guide […]
As the Supreme Court considers the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the behavioral health coverage of more than 12 million people is hanging in the balance. That’s the case because the ACA gave states the option to expand their Medicaid programs, allowing them to cover a larger swath of people. Under Medicaid expansion, […]
With control of the Senate still hanging in the balance, it’s difficult to know how the health care policy landscape will look in 2021 and beyond. It all comes down to the Georgia Senate runoff races in January. If Republicans win at least one of the two seats up for grabs, they will retain the […]
The Senate has passed legislation that would provide more resources to community mental health and addiction treatment centers that serve people who are incarcerated. The Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration. The bipartisan bill is designed to improve care for incarcerated people with behavioral health conditions. […]
It seems America has spoken: Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. While it’s still too early to know exactly what Biden’s policy platform will look like, experts anticipate the new administration will usher in a number of positive changes for the behavioral health industry. “Biden and his history indicate that […]
COVID-19 has dominated the labor and employment law landscape over the past seven months, as state and federal governments continue to make regulatory changes left and right. One of the latest modifications should be of particular interest to behavioral health providers, as it tweaks the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to narrow the definition […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is more than a year behind on creating a special registration process that would allow behavioral health providers to tele-prescribe certain medications for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Now, dozens of organizations are putting pressure on federal officials to change that, asking them to move forward and make medication-assisted treatment […]
As the U.S. heads into one of the most divisive elections in its history, a number important issues are on the table. Chiefly among them is health care, with the outcome of the election likely to have serious implications for the behavioral health industry in particular. Currently, Joe Biden is favored to come out on […]
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is suing CleanSlate Centers for allegedly defrauding the state Medicaid program out of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, the national addiction treatment center chain says the allegations are meritless. The lawsuit asserts that CleanSlate submitted millions of dollars worth of false claims for unnecessary urine drug tests to MassHealth. On top of […]