Days after Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) announced its plan to acquire Magellan Health (Nasdaq: MGLN), leadership is doubling down on the insurer’s commitment to behavioral. Those services will play an important role in the company’s future, according to Centene CEO Michael Neidorff, who is also president and chairman of the company. “It has to be […]
As the behavioral health industry draws more government funding, it’s also getting newfound scrutiny from state and federal regulators. Enforcement actions against behavioral providers are on the rise, especially for those organizations that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Consequently, compliance planning is more important than ever — and so is identifying warning signs that suggest […]
For decades, behavioral health services have been delivered in facility-based settings, whether those be inpatient psychiatric hospitals or outpatient clinics. But in 2020, that changed. The coronavirus forced telehealth into the mainstream, in turn making remote behavioral health care delivery commonplace. Nearly a year later, industry stakeholders agree there’s no putting the genie back into […]
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 […]
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, new entrants have flooded the behavioral health space, especially in the digital realm. The newest player moving in on the opportunity is a Google-affiliated house-call company that’s taking a slightly different approach. Ready — an on-demand, in-home health service — is now offering behavioral health visits for patients in certain markets, […]
Amid the COVID-19 emergency, all eyes have been on skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and hospitals — and for good reason. SNFs have accounted for more than 40% of the nation’s COVID-19 deaths, while hospitals have grappled with bed and personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages. As a result, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services […]
Behavioral health providers only have a few days left to apply for money from the Provider Relief Fund, which could play an important role in keeping them afloat amid the coronavirus. The deadline is Friday, August 28. The Provider Relief Fund is a product of the CARES Act designed to help Medicare and Medicaid providers […]
When the COVID-19 emergency hit the U.S. in March, behavioral health organizations quickly pivoted their operations out of necessity. Treatments that had traditionally been delivered in person were reimagined remotely in an effort to reduce the risk of virus transmission. Federal and state flexibilities made it possible, paving the way for the wider adoption of […]
The Trump administration continues to loosen health care regulations in an attempt to better equip providers to deal with COVID-19. For the behavioral health industry, the newfound flexibilities make it much easier for providers to deliver comprehensive telehealth services. Due to the crisis, the government is looking past certain HIPAA rules, allowing providers to deliver […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new final rule that will help behavioral health providers coordinate care by requiring hospitals to notify them when their patients have been admitted. The Interoperability and Patient Access rule applies to acute care, psychiatric and critical access hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. […]