Virtual Treatment Alone Can’t Solve Substance Use Disorder Epidemic, Experts Warn

Providers are throwing caution flags on the field of virtual substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Virtual SUD treatment boasts serious benefits, including convenience and accessibility, but not all patients are well-suited to receiving care through exclusively virtual means, industry insiders told Addiction Treatment Business. While virtual therapy may be the best fit for some patients […]

CCBHCs Could Become Permanent Part of Medicaid

Editor’s note: March 14, 2024 — The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 9, includes provisions to define certified community behavioral health centers (CCBHCs) within the Social Security Act. This makes CCBHCs a permanent part of Medicaid.  Proposed legislation in Congress could make certified community behavioral health […]

Alcohol-Related Deaths Spike By 29% in US, But Opioid Crisis Overshadows Alcohol Use Disorder

Want to read more content like this? Subscribe to Addiction Treatment Business today! The number of people who died from alcohol-related reasons per year increased by more than 40,000 within six years, new CDC data revealed. Yet, alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains overlooked in the substance use disorder (SUD) industry, which is laser-focused on the […]

National Council Lays Out the Future of Measurement-Informed Care

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing seeks to redefine how providers and payers in behavioral health assess quality outcomes and are calling it measurement-informed care. In a webinar, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit industry group called for the term measurement-informed care to replace the incumbent measurement-based care. Professionals with the council also presented their analysis of […]

‘It’s A Huge Deal’: Behavioral Health Stakeholders Praise New Mental Health Parity Rule

The public comment period hasn’t begun for the Biden administration’s recently published proposed mental health parity rule. But that hasn’t stopped a flood of commentary on the rule from entering the public sphere already. On July 25, the administration released a proposed rule that firms up mental health parity in terms of health plan’s compliance […]

Without Policy Action, Industry Likely to See Severe ‘Exodus of Behavioral Health Workers’

Without major public policy changes to bolster the behavioral health workforce, providers will fail to meet the demand for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services moving forward – even more so than now. That’s according to a new survey conducted by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and The Harris Poll. The survey, […]

‘CCBHCs Are Transforming Behavioral Health Systems’: SAMHSA Gives 15 States Shot at Medicaid Demo

States vying for spots in the Medicaid demonstration program for certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) are getting a financial boost from the federal government. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded 15 states $1 million planning grants to help pay for the application and development process required to join a Medicaid […]

State of the Union: Biden Administration Touts Further Behavioral Health Investments, Parity Enforcement

The Biden administration’s behavioral health agenda going forward prioritizes expanding the capacity of the American behavioral health care system, providing youth mental health services, and cracking down on international and domestic fentanyl trafficking. President Joe Biden touted the administration’s progress on several behavioral health initiatives in his State of the Union. The White House also […]

CCBHC Designation Leads to Massive Patient, Workforce Gains for Many Programs

Clinics that have implemented a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model serve 23% more patients than they did before the designation. That’s according to a new survey by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, which included responses from 249 CCBHCs and grantees. Results of the survey show that CCBHCs are growing in both the […]