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Substance Use Disorder

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a revised Medicare Learning Network (MLN) booklet that contains revisions to telehealth and remote monitoring. Specific changes noted in this publication include:

  • The addition of a resource link for the latest telehealth information;
  • Additional information on how to suppress a practitioner’s home address in PECOS;
  • The removal of telehealth frequency limitations for subsequent inpatient, nursing facility, and critical care consultations;
  • Permanently allowing teaching and supervising physicians to supervise through virtual presence;
  • Continued payment to Rural Health Clinics (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) for medical telehealth services through December 31, 2026;
  • Starting in CY 2026, only adding services to the Medicare telehealth services list on a permanent basis;
  • The addition of 5 new CPT and HCPCS codes to the Medicare telehealth services list; and
  • For CY 2026, updates to the:
    • Medicare Economic Index; and
    • Originating site fee.

Members are encouraged to review the booklet for more details on these changes.

From Chaos to Clarity: The Definitive Client Engagement Case Study
Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Time: 12:00 pm CST / 1:00 pm EST
Featuring: Eastern Shore CSB & Qualifacts
Visit Here to Register

Behavioral health organizations are under increasing pressure to do more with less — reduce avoidable rework, improve access to care, and deliver a better client experience without adding staff. In this case-study webinar, Eastern Shore Community Services Board (CSB) shares how they turned fragmented processes into a streamlined, measurable client engagement strategy.

By implementing Qualifacts’ Client Engagement solutions, Eastern Shore CSB modernized intake, communication, and follow-up workflows — keeping care moving, reducing delays, and improving operational clarity across the organization.

Join this webinar to hear directly from the team at Eastern Shore CSB as they walk through what changed, how it changed, and the tangible impact on day-to-day operations.

In this webinar, we will:

  • Break down the highest-friction steps in client workflows — including intake, communication, and billing readiness — and show how Eastern Shore standardized them;
  • Explore how automated reminders and follow-ups created a consistent client engagement cadence that reduced no-shows and drop-offs;
  • Demonstrate how integrated client portal and telehealth workflows expanded access without increasing headcount;
  • Show how accelerating signatures and statements in-portal helped maintain billing momentum and avoid downstream delays; and
  • Share practical takeaways behavioral health organizations can apply immediately to improve efficiency and client experience.

Featured Speakers

Stephen Hopkins
EHR Systems Administrator, Eastern Shore CSB
Stephen has been with Eastern Shore CSB for eight years and manages all EHR configuration, reporting, virtual care, and client engagement solutions. With a background in Information Technology, he has successfully led the organization’s use of Credible and Credible Client Experience Solutions — driving meaningful improvements in portal adoption, engagement, and telehealth delivery.

Sarah Taylor, RN
Product Specialist II, Qualifacts
Before joining Qualifacts, Sarah spent 16 years as a registered nurse supporting mental health clients across emergency, crisis stabilization, and in-home care settings. She brings hands-on clinical experience and deep implementation expertise to her role, helping organizations maximize the value of Qualifacts’ EHR and client engagement platforms.

Yesterday, January 15, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro, alongside Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, led a roundtable discussion at Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency on efforts to save lives, prevent fatal overdoses, and support families struggling with substance use disorder. The visit followed the release of the Shapiro Administration’s Overdose Prevention Program Annual Report, which details significant progress in reducing overdose deaths across Pennsylvania.

Between October 2024 and September 2025, frontline organizations reported over 11,400 overdose reversals linked to naloxone distributed through the Administration’s initiative — representing thousands of lives saved through timely intervention. Early estimates show that in 2025, Pennsylvania saw the fewest overdose deaths in more than a decade.

Read the complete press release.

Drexel University Behavioral Healthcare Education (BHE) will be hosting their second Annual One-Day Summit “Hot Topics: Trends and Challenges in Behavioral Healthcare,” on Friday, May 29, 2026, which will be held virtually via Zoom. The BHE team invites you to submit an abstract for a 60-minute workshop, which will consist of 50 minutes for the presentation and 10 minutes for questions and answers.

The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, February 27, 2026.

Please note: Although presenters will not be financially compensated for their presentations, all presenters are invited to attend the entirety of the summit, earning the maximum number of continuing education credits free of charge.

For more details and the proposal submission form, refer to the BHE Conferences website.

The 2026 RCPA Annual Conference Power in Purpose: Promoting Possibilities will be held September 29 – October 2 at the Hershey Lodge for a statewide audience. RCPA’s Conference Committee is seeking workshop proposals in every area for possible inclusion, particularly those that assist providers in developing and maintaining high-quality, stable, and effective treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations that:

  • Discuss strategies for C-Suite leadership to advance their organization with adapting to challenges and opportunities;
  • Provide guidance on building a culture of a committed workforce, including recruitment and employee development as well as effective remote workforce strategies;
  • Highlight new policy, research, and treatment initiatives, such as the use of artificial intelligence and technology in service provision;
  • Provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
  • Discuss advanced ethics practices and suicide prevention; and/or
  • Address system changes that affect business practices, including integrated care strategies, value-based purchasing, performance-based contracting, acquisitions and mergers, and alternative payment models.

The committee welcomes any proposal that addresses these and other topics essential to rehabilitation, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s health, aging, physical disabilities, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and autism. Members are encouraged to consider submitting, and we highly encourage you to forward this opportunity to those who are exceptionally good speakers and have state-of-the-art information to share.

The Call for Proposals (featuring a complete listing of focus tracks) and accompanying Guidelines for Developing Educational Objectives detail requirements for submissions. The deadline for submissions is COB Monday, March 23, 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically with the form provided; confirmation of receipt will be sent. Proposals submitted after the deadline may not be considered.

If the proposal is accepted, individuals must be prepared to present on any day of the conference. Workshops are 90 minutes in length. If the topic requires an in-depth presentation, a double session can be scheduled for a total of 180 minutes. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be asked to confirm the ability to submit workshop slides and handouts electronically two weeks prior to the conference. Individuals unable to meet this expectation may not have their materials available to participants during the conference.

Individuals are welcome to submit more than one proposal; however, we ask that you submit no more than three total. Notification of inclusion for the conference will be made via email by Monday, May 11, 2026. Questions may be directed to Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.