‘That’s Where Medicare Needs to Go’: What CMS’ New IOP Proposal Means for Behavioral Health Providers

Thursday night, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) dropped a new proposed rule that would allow Medicare to cover intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. The proposed changes could open the door for IOP providers to work with the Medicare population and give patients a […]

CMS Touts Historic Proposal to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Services in Medicare

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule could expand behavioral health coverage, boost care coordination and increase rates for providers. Specifically, the proposed changes would allow marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs), including substance use disorder counselors, to enroll in Medicare and bill for […]

New CMS Demo Could Help Incarcerated Individuals Get More SUD Care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is rolling out a new demonstration that could help expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) services by allowing state Medicaid plans to cover incarcerated individuals before release. Specifically, the demonstration allows state Medicaid programs to cover a package of pre-release services up to 90 days before […]

CMS Finalizes Rule to Cover More Behavioral Health Clinicians, Boost Mental Health Integration

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday finalized a new rule aimed at expanding access to behavioral health services and integration for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the new rule adds clinical psychologists and licensed clinical social workers to CMS’ list of evaluated specialties. It also requires most Medicare Advantage […]

New Bill Looks to Expand Access to Mental Health Services for Seniors

A bipartisan group of U.S. House representatives have introduced a new bill aimed at increasing access to mental health services for seniors Dubbed the Increasing Mental Health Options Act of 2022, the legislation seeks to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to psychologists and can receive mental health services regardless of their care setting. Currently […]

CMS Looking to Hold Medicare Advantage Plans Accountable for Members’ Behavioral Health Needs

Private insurers offering Medicare plans to seniors may soon have more rigorous behavioral health requirements to follow. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday unveiled a newly proposed rule for Medicare Advantage (MA) meant to emphasize “the invaluable role that access to behavioral health plays in whole-person care.” The move comes […]

CMS Floats Plans for National Provider Directory to Unify Fragmented Parts of Health Care – Including Behavioral Health

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering creating the first national directory of health care providers and services. The agency floated those plans in a Wednesday announcement. Such a move could have major implications for the notoriously fragmented behavioral health industry. CMS is pitching the directory as a way to help […]

HHS to Test New Payment Models, Strengthen Mental Health Workforce as It Strives for Behavioral Health Parity

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is looking to bolster the behavioral health workforce and test out new payment models in effort to improve mental health parity and access. It’s part of HHS’ recently released roadmap, which gives guidelines about integrating mental health and substance use care into whole-person care. The roadmap […]