More patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are turning to extended-release buprenorphine to treat their substance use than ever before. However, prescription use of non-extended release formulations has declined, according to a Massachusetts-focused study published in JAMA Network Open. Throughout the state, men were also more likely to be prescribed the extended-release version than women. […]
Fewer than one in five Medicare patients with a substance use disorder (SUD) receive medication-assisted-treatment (MAT), including popular options such as buprenorphine and methadone, to treat their condition. Still, the number of providers prescribing buprenorphine for Medicare beneficiaries rose by 32% in 2023. This is according to a new report from the U.S. Department of […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a slight rate increase and a bucketful of other tweaks to the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System and quality reporting provisions related to Medicare payments. CMS said Friday that it is proposing an increase to psychiatric facilities prospective payments via Medicare by 2.4%, net of […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule for the 2025 Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) on Wednesday. The new rule makes changes to Medicare payments as well as to the Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Quality Reporting Program. The payment adjustments include a 2.5% net rate increase, patient-level […]
Rates of autism are higher among children with public insurance compared to those with private or no insurance coverage. That’s according to a new report produced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Approximately 5% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 with public insurance coverage have an autism diagnosis. Comparatively, 2% […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included multiple behavioral health updates in two proposed payment rules released on Wednesday. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) and partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) will likely see rate changes as part of the CMS proposed payment rates for hospital outpatient and Ambulatory Surgical Center services. IOPs and PHPs […]
Federal regulators have been taking steps to hold private health insurance companies working within the Medicare program more accountable. Behavioral health continues to play an essential part in those efforts. One of the most recent moves came on Thursday, when the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a new set of policies […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have fallen short in ensuring several states comply with Medicaid managed care mental health and substance use disorder parity requirements. That’s according to a new audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), which evaluated eight states with Medicaid managed care contracts. Four of the states in the review, […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its 2025 proposed rule for prospective payments and policies for Medicare-reimbursed inpatient psychiatric facilities. CMS has proposed a 2.7% increase in the payment rate of inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) for 2025. The agency estimates that the total payments to IPFs in 2025 will increase by […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released a new guidance to State Medicaid Directors, opening the door to a larger pool of providers to offer care to beneficiaries and adding a new nurse advice line. As part of the guidance, a new group of behavioral health providers, including master’s level social workers, marriage and […]
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