Policy

Coalition Asks CMS to Extend Telehealth Flexibilities Beyond Pandemic
The Mental Health Liaison Group has asked CMS that the flexibilities around telehealth it enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic be extended one year after the emergency period is declared over to evaluate the potential for certain changes to become permanent.
Deinstitutionalization and Decarceration Emerge as New COVID-19 Issues
It is ironic that deinstitutionalization from state psychiatric hospitals and decarceration from city and county jails—major objectives long sought by the behavioral health community—have turned into significant problems in the COVID-19 era.
Shatterproof: Time is Now for Revisiting Proposed Addiction Treatment Bills
Advocacy group Shatterproof says a pair of bills introduced in the House that would remove the separate waiver required for prescribing buprenorphine and set baseline requirements around preventing addiction and working with patients with OUD should be revisited in light of COVID-19.
Prior Authorization for Medications in Medicare Ends Up Increasing Costs
A study released today found that prior authorization requirements for medication treatment under Medicare reduce prescribing of buprenorphine and lead to higher hospital costs.
State Attorney Tunes Out ‘Florida Shuffle’ Scheme
Dave Aronberg, state attorney for the 15th judicial district in Florida, shared with Rx Summit attendees how his office has cracked down on patient brokering in Palm Beach County and helped individuals seeking treatment.
HEAL Initiative Slowed by COVID-19, but NIH Still Making Advances
With much of the research in the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative temporarily on pause, NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, and Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, shared with Rx Summit attendees other areas of progress for NIH.
'Agenda for Change' Conference Brings Big-Picture Issues Back Into Focus
The event, held last week in Washington, D.C., served as a state of the union for behavioral healthcare, drawing attention to the largest issues facing the field.
CBD Summit Identifies a Course of Action
Identification of a more rapid pathway for research on cannabinoids and a separate pathway for research on over-the-counter products were among the topics discussed by Summit speakers.
The New Year is a Time for Decision and Action
We will face difficult choices around personal rights, social justice and life chances in the new year.
Congressional Briefing Calls for Improved Regulation of CBD
Panelists say CBD is a critical medicine for treating potentially very severe disorders, but more regulation for non-medical CBD products is a must.
Report: Telemental Health Expands, but Barriers to Widespread Participation Remain
Support for mental health services provided by telehealth continues to rise across the U.S., but obstacles to participation remain in several areas, per a recent report from the law firm Epstein Becker Green.

Videos

Video: ONC’s Scott Weinstein outlines the Data Segmentation for Privacy (DS4P) initiative

ONC fellow discusses current privacy initiatives being explored in federal health IT effort

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