Category Archives: Public View

CMCS releases resources on renewal process for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries and June enrollment report
SAMHSA creating Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy
SAMHSA releases quick guides for clinicians and administrators to meet the needs of women with substance use disorders
HHS sends notices to federal insurance marketplace consumers with immigration status inconsistencies
HHS awards more than $106 million for State home visiting programs
GAO releases report on cost-effective preventive services in peer-reviewed literature

News from NASADAD

NASADAD meets with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
NASADAD presents at SAMHSA Policy Academy on prescription drug abuse

Resources

Report released on the impact of legalization of marijuana in Colorado

News from the States

Pennsylvania SSA Gary Tennis unveils Building Bridges to Recovery project

The project, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Drug and Alcohol Advisory Council and the Pennsylvania Parent Panel Advisory Council, aims to build informational and resource bridges between the medical, treatment, and recovery communities and the person in need of treatment. Secretary Tennis sent a letter to stakeholders on August 7^th to inform them about the initiative and to invite them to participate in advance of Recovery Month in September. Secretary Tennis writes “I am asking you to identify how you might, as an individual or an organization, initiate dialogue with health care professionals to provide information about substance use disorders and recovery.” The letter offers recommendations for individuals, providers, and organizations on how they can get involved. DDAP will be posting resources on their website to assist participants, and ultimately build momentum for Recovery Month.

Ohio offers funding opportunity for recovery housing support

The Ohio legislature made an investment of $5 million into recovery housing under House Bill 483. The purpose of the initiative is to increase community capacity to provide recovery housing to individuals recovering from substance use disorders. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) released a request for proposal (RFP) to identify an organization to form an Ohio affiliate of the National Alliance of Recovery Residences (NARR). The affiliate will develop quality standards for recovery houses that comply with national quality standards, as well as State and local requirements. The affiliate will also develop and implement a plan for outreach and implementation support for the operators of recovery houses. Finally, the organization will collaborate with a range of stakeholders and provide education about recovery housing in Ohio communities. Questions related to the RFP can be submitted online by August 22. The due date for proposals is August 29 (OhioMHAS News).

Capitol Hill News

House September legislative agenda does not mention appropriations work

House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sent a memo to the Republican caucus outlining the September legislative agenda. The memo cites “jobs and economic growth,” “lowering costs on gas and groceries,” and “health care” as the major efforts that the House will consider after the August recess. The memo does not mention any work related to appropriations. If Congress fails to pass their appropriations bills, it is likely that they will vote on a continuing resolution to provide short-term funding until appropriations work resumes.

Hospitals urge Congress to expand, protect access to health care-related data

The American Hospital Association (AHA) received a request from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) to weigh in on health care data discussions, AHA urged Congress to increase access to meaningful and useful data across the care continuum while protecting the privacy and security of individual patient data as they consider ways to accelerate improvement in health care quality and value. Among other actions, AHA recommends that Congress direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to release certain Medicare data on Part B carriers, Part D prescription drugs, Medicare Advantage enrollees, and inpatient hospital discharges. As data resources are expanded, AHA urged Congress to ensure that the privacy and security of individual patient information is maintained. As covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), health care providers, payers, and clearinghouses bear special responsibilities to keep individual patient information private and secure, and face significant financial and criminal penalties in the event of unauthorized use or disclosures, protections that do not extend to entities that have not signed a specific agreement with a HIPAA-covered entity (AHA News Now).

Around the Agencies

CMCS releases resources on renewal process for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries and June enrollment report

The resources, released by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS), provide information on new enrollees in both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and information about the beneficiary renewal process. The first resource is a PowerPoint presentation from a webinar with ideas and strategies for a streamlined renewal process, which has been posted in Medicaid.gov’s State toolbox for expanding coverage. CMCS also released the June 2014 Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Report which reports on State Medicaid and CHIP eligibility and enrollment. Since the new insurance marketplaces opened, more than 7.2 million additional people have enrolled in health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP.

SAMHSA creating Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy

The new office will be the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) primary point of contact for tribal governments, tribal organizations, federal departments and agencies, and other governments and agencies on mental health and substance use disorder issues facing American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S. (SAMHSA press release). Mirtha Beadle, MPA will lead the new office. Ms. Beadle is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. The Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs, Sheila Cooper, as well as the staff from the Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse (OIASA) will also join the new office.

SAMHSA releases quick guides for clinicians and administrators to meet the needs of women with substance use disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the guides on August 12^th. Both guides are based on SAMHSA’s TIP 51, Substance Abuse Treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women. The first guide will help clinicians and counselors serve women with substance use disorders using the most up-to-date, gender-specific best practices and approaches. The second guide is designed for administrators and focuses on program development, procedures, and policies that help women with substance use disorders. Both guides seek to help professionals take note of and effectively address the unique needs of women in treatment.

HHS sends notices to federal insurance marketplace consumers with immigration status inconsistencies

Consumers with coverage through the federal health insurance marketplace with inconsistencies in their citizenship or immigration data have been sent notices to submit additional supporting documents by September 5^th. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also sent additional notices via mail, email, and phone. Consumers who do not respond by the deadline will lose their marketplace coverage at the end of September. Inconsistencies do not necessarily mean that someone is not eligible for coverage, but may instead arise when the application is incomplete or different from the information that the government has on file. State-run marketplaces are also in the process of verifying citizenship and immigration information and will resolve those issues independently of HHS. Many consumers’ application inconsistencies have been resolved – the number of outstanding cases has fallen from 970,000 in May to 310,000 today. Consumers are encouraged to respond as quickly as possible so that they do not experience an interruption of health insurance coverage.

Also check out a visual breakdown of the notices and blog from HHS with tips or consumers with inconsistencies.

HHS awards more than $106 million for State home visiting programs

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced the grants for 46 States, the District of Columbia, and five jurisdictions as part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program). The Home Visiting Program was established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The funds can be used to expand evidence-based home visiting services for women during pregnancy and for parents with young children (ages 0-5). Home visits are conducted by nurses, social workers, or educators and have been shown to prevent child abuse and neglect and promote the child’s health and development (HHS press release). The program also specifies that women with substance use disorders receive treatment.

GAO releases report on cost-effective preventive services in peer-reviewed literature

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed the peer-reviewed literature on preventive services that were deemed to be cost-effective. GAO reviewed studies from January 2007 to April 2014. The services were categorized into a type such as clinical intervention or screening. GAO also recorded the target population, whether the service was cost-saving, and whether it has been recommended by the Preventive Services Task Force or the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. GAO looked at a range of services including tobacco prevention and treatment and substance use disorder treatment for high-risk populations to prevent HIV infection.

News from NASADAD

NASADAD meets with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Rob Morrison, Executive Director; Rick Harwood, Director of Research and Program Applications; Shalini Wickramatilake, Research Analyst; and Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate met with Kate Vlach and Betsy Wieand of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to discuss areas of potential collaboration between NASADAD and ACOG on women’s health issues. Ms. Vlach and Ms. Wieand were also interested in learning more about the work of State substance abuse agencies, particularly in regards to the management and financing of treatment for women with substance use disorders. ACOG has developed a number of “Committee Opinions” related to substance abuse that may be of interest to NASADAD members (listed below).

ACOG Committee Opinions can be found on:

NASADAD presents at SAMHSA Policy Academy on prescription drug abuse

Rob Morrison, Executive Director; Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate; Nima Shahidinia, Research Analyst; and Candice Russell, Research Associate attended the Policy Academy hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) from August 11^th-13^th. The Prescription Drug Abuse Policy Academy featured teams from ten States: CT, KS, KY, MN, NJ, NM, NC, OH, RI, and WI. The prevention-focused Academy featured presentations from several distinguished speakers including Frances Harding (Director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention), Dr. H. Westley Clark (Director, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment), Michael Botticelli (Acting Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy), Dr. Wilson Compton (Deputy Director, National Institutes on Drug Abuse), and Dr. Paul Jarris (Executive Director, ASTHO) and offered ample time for State teams to work on their own prescription drug abuse plans. On Tuesday morning, Rob Morrison presented findings from NASADAD’s membership inquiry on prescription drugs and heroin on a panel with General Arthur Dean (Chairman and CEO, Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) and Nancy Young, PhD (Project Director, National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare). Other presentations included information on prescription drug overdose, opioid use in pregnancy and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), federal initiatives on prescription drug abuse, monitoring and surveillance, improving access to treatment and recovery supports, and much more.

Resources

Report released on the impact of legalization of marijuana in Colorado

The report, The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact, Volume 3, was released on August 12^th by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA). The report includes information on impaired driving, youth use, adult use, emergency room admissions, marijuana-related exposure, treatment, diversion, THC extraction labs, and related data. Data show that the majority of arrests for driving under the influence involve marijuana and 25-40% of arrests involve marijuana alone. From 2011-2013, marijuana-related emergency room visits increased by 57%, and hospitalizations for marijuana increased by 82% from 2008-2013. With legalization still in the early stages, this report offers preliminary data on the impact on the State and individual Coloradans. Rocky Mountain HIDTA will continue to track this information and release the latest data so that other States and localities that may be considering legalization have a better understanding of the potential short- and long-term impacts.

Public View

D.C. Update – August 8, 2014

August 12, 2014 aaa

DC Update

August 8, 2014

News from NASADAD

Hilary Jacobs named Interim Senior Policy Advisor to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Health – Lydie Ultimo named Interim State Director
NASADAD welcomes a new Research Associate, Elizabeth Selmi

Events

NASADAD attends briefing on health care provided in prisons and jails
NASADAD attends briefing on the experience of navigators and insurance brokers during the first open enrollment period of the exchanges

Around the Agencies

NASADAD attends DOJ meeting on naloxone and law enforcement – Attorney General Holder provides opening remarks – NASADAD sends follow-up letter
CMS officially sets Oct. 1, 2015 as ICD-10 transition date
NIH developing system to track emerging drug trends

In the News

Study finds that college students receive light penalties for alcohol-related infractions

News from NASADAD

Hilary Jacobs named Interim Senior Policy Advisor to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Health – Lydie Ultimo named Interim State Director

Hilary Jacobs was serving as the Director of the MA Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) and NASADAD member. Ms. Jacobs will now be a Senior Policy Advisor to the MA Department of Public Health’s Commissioner, specializing in opioid policy. Ms. Jacobs will be coordinating in-State and interagency work, as well as inter-State deliverables based on those agreed to by a June meeting of New England Governors to address opiate use. Ms. Jacobs will also serve as the State Opioid Treatment Authority (SOTA) and will remain an important part of NASADAD’s Opioid Treatment Network (OTN). While we will miss Ms. Jacobs and her terrific work as a State Director, we congratulate her on her new position and look forward to her continued work to reduce opiate abuse in Massachusetts and beyond. Lydie Ultimo, currently a member of the National Treatment Network (NTN), will be serving as the interim SSA for Massachusetts, as well as continuing her work as an NTN. Ms. Ultimo has been with BSAS since 2008 and served as the Deputy Director since 2012.

NASADAD welcomes new Research Associate, Elizabeth Selmi

Elizabeth (Liz) graduated in May 2014 from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Prior to working at NASADAD, she interned at Standing Together Against Domestic Violence in London, which works to promote a coordinated, multi-agency community response to domestic violence. She also has clinical experience working as a research assistant at a psychiatry lab in Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY. The research focused on comparing cognition in bipolar individuals with their siblings unaffected by the disorder. Liz hopes to pursue her Master’s in Public Health in the future. We are thrilled to welcome Liz to the team! Liz will be working as a Research Associate, primarily supporting the National Treatment Network (NTN), Opioid Treatment Network (OTN), and HIV Coordinators.

Events

NASADAD attends briefing on health care provided in prisons and jails

Rob Morrison, Executive Director and Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate attended the briefing, Health Care Behind Bars: A Key to Population Health?, hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform on August 1^st. The panelists ranged from inmate activists with personal experiences with receiving health care while incarcerated to State officials responsible for managing health care programs for inmates (complete list below). Presenters from Georgia and Tennessee provided information on the innovative approaches those States have taken to improve health outcomes, while also operating on a limited budget.

Moderator:

Ed Howard, Alliance for Health Reform

Panelists:

Steve Rosenberg, Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS)

Debra Rowe, Returning Citizens United

Jacqueline Craig-Bey, Patient Advocate, former inmate

Sharon Lewis, Georgia Department of Corrections

Dr. Asher Turney, Centurion

NASADAD attends briefing on the experience of navigators and insurance brokers during the first open enrollment period of the exchanges

Colleen Haller, Public Policy Associate attended the briefing hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform. The briefing, Navigating the Health Insurance Landscape: What’s Next for Navigators, In-Person Assisters, and Brokers?, was held on August 5^th and featured presentations by two State-based Assister groups, the insurance brokers’ association, and the Kaiser Family Foundation (complete list below). The panelists discussed the experiences of those helping consumers enroll in health insurance, including reviewing the results of a survey of Assister programs, as well as discussing the challenges that lay ahead for the next open enrollment period.

Moderators:

Ed Howard, Alliance for Health Reform

Jennifer Tolbert, Kaiser Family Foundation

Panelists:

Karen Pollitz, Kaiser Family Foundation

Jodi Ray, Florida Covering Kids and Families, University of South Florida

Lisa Stein, Seedco

Jessica Waltman, National Association of Health Underwriters

Around the Agencies

NASADAD attends DOJ meeting on naloxone and law enforcement – Attorney General Holder provides opening remarks – NASADAD sends follow-up letter

On July 31st, Robert Morrison, Executive Director attended a meeting on law enforcement and naloxone sponsored by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Attorney General Eric Holder provided remarks at the beginning of the meeting. Michael Botticelli, Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) also spoke. The meeting was convened by DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) which houses a number of NASADAD priority programs and is led by Denise O’Donnell. Mary Lou Leary, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, also led the meeting. The meeting included a round-table of experts in law enforcement and addiction that have already taken a leadership role in the use of naloxone. National organizations (Major Cities Chiefs Association, National Sherriff’s Association, National Criminal Justice Association, National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws) including NASADAD, were invited to attend as well as other federal agencies (such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and others). Tara Kunkel, Visiting Fellow, DOJ/BJA and Chris Traver, DOJ/BJA served as facilitators and guided participants in discussing some of the following areas: (1) championing the implementation of a law enforcement naloxone program, (2) acquisition and replenishment of naloxone, (3) law enforcement training issues, (4) medical oversight and models, (5) legal and liability issues, and (5) distribution of toolkit materials that DOJ is putting together that would serve as a resource for the law enforcement community to consider as a resource. Throughout the day-long meeting, the conversation recognized the need for and benefits of addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery resources. NASADAD sent a follow-up letter to Attorney General Holder, thanking DOJ for convening this meeting and offering recommendations as DOJ develops its toolkit.

Also check out NASADAD’s recently released Fact Sheet on DOJ priority programs.

CMS officially sets Oct. 1, 2015 as ICD-10 transition date

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule establishing Oct. 1, 2015 as the date that health care providers must include ICD-10 diagnosis and procedure codes on Medicare and other health care claims. The new date complies with a provision in the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 delaying the transition for at least one year. The final rule also requires the continued use of ICD-9 through Sept. 30, 2015. “While many providers, including physicians, hospitals and health plans, have completed the necessary system changes to transition to ICD-10, the time offered by Congress and this rule ensure all providers are ready,” CMS said (American Hospital Association Newsletter).

NIH developing system to track emerging drug trends

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is developing the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) to track emerging drug use trends and assist health officials respond quickly to potential outbreaks of illicit drug use. The system will scan social media and other websites to identify new trends as well as conventional national and local data collected. Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says that “by monitoring trends at the local level, we hope to prevent emerging drug problems from escalating or spreading to surrounding regions” (press release). The University of Maryland Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) will receive a five-year grant from NIDA to develop the system.

In the News

Study finds that college students receive light penalties for alcohol-related infractions

The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, was conducted at 343 colleges and found that law enforcement was not likely to issue citations to students for violating alcohol laws (press release). Students were often referred to the school for discipline rather than the criminal justice system. Students were also not generally sent to a campus health center for alcohol abuse screening, intervention, or treatment. The authors of the study suggest that reduced penalties for alcohol-related offenses may contribute to binge drinking along with the easy availability of alcohol at parties and other events and a “social life that emphasizes drinking create an environment where binge drinking is a normative and expected part of college life” (Toben Nelson, Lead Researcher).

News, Public View

NASADAD Sends Letter to Attorney General

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NASADAD sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder with recommendations for an upcoming Department of Justice toolkit for law enforcement on naloxone. Continue reading →