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Substance Use Disorder

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The Self-Determination Housing Project of Pennsylvania is hosting a webinar; “811 Project Rental Assistance Overview” on Monday, August 19, 2019 at 10:00 am. The webinar will cover program eligibility, priority populations, how to become a stakeholder, and what the process looks like once someone is referred to an 811 unit. Please follow the link below to register for the webinar and feel free to share this information with colleagues and those in your network who would be interested in this topic.

Please register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you have any questions, please reach out to the 811 Team.

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Please adjust your schedules for a new date and time of the RCPA Drug and Alcohol Division Meeting. RCPA is changing the date of this meeting to Wednesday, September 4 from 1:00 pm–4:00 pm, to be held in the RCPA Conference Room, Penn Grant Centre, 777 E Park Drive, Suite 300, Harrisburg, PA.

The September 4 meeting at 1:00 pm will replace the originally scheduled meeting on September 10 at 12:30 pm. Please plan to attend this meeting where we will introduce Kristen Houser, the new RCPA Drug and Alcohol Division Director, and she will begin her work with RCPA members. Register here to attend.

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ISSUE DATE: July 30, 2019

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2019

SCOPE: This bulletin applies to all behavioral health providers licensed or approved by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) or the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) that are enrolled in the Medical Assistance (MA) program, or who seek to enroll, revalidate, or re-activate their enrollment.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this bulletin is to:

  • Clarify for behavioral health providers the applicability of the requirements published in the Medical Assistance Bulletin (MAB) 99-18-11, “Service Location Enrollment Deadline,” which reminded providers to enroll each service location out of which they operate; and
  • Advise behavioral health providers that effective October 1, 2019, they must use the enrolled service location at which a service was provided on claims.

The following link will provide access to the bulletin: OMHSAS 19-02 – Service Location Enrollment for BH Providers.

Additionally, we have been advised by OMHSAS that as providers continue to enroll service locations, providers can utilize their main physical site address for billing pending site enrollment in PROMISe. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Mental Health Division Director Sarah Eyster or RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce a statewide conference focused on building capacity to better support the complex needs of individuals in the community. The conference theme is Expanding Capacity: Reaching Further.

The Conference will be held on Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22, 2019 at the Blair County Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Drive, Altoona, PA 16602.

Keynote and Plenary Speakers include:

  • Gina Calhoun – Program Director, Doors to Wellbeing, National Consumer Technical Assistance Center
     Topic: WRAP: Living a Self-Determined Well Life
  • Julie Gentile, MD, Professor and Chair, Psychiatry – Wright State University
     Topic: Practicing Medicine in the Digital World
  • Angela Moreland, PhD – Assistant Professor, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina
     Topic: Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: From Research to Practice

Breakout Session Topics include:

  • The Importance of Data Collection Relevant to Behavior Change and Medication;
  • Autism and the Justice System;
  • Communication and Collaboration: Supporting Transition Across the Lifespan; and
  • Creative Strategies for Mental Health Professional in State Hospitals.

For more information, visit: https://www.myodp.org/mod/url/view.php?id=22147
For registration information, visit: https://www.myodp.org/mod/url/view.php?id=22147REGISTRATION:

Online registration is now open and will remain available until Friday, August 9, 2019. The registration fee is $100 and includes lunch, break snacks, and all materials.

This conference is hosted by the Office of Developmental Programs and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and supported by the Money Follows the Person grant funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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RCPA is pleased to announce the hiring of Kristen Houser as the new director for its Drug and Alcohol Division. Kristen will be working on policy and regulatory issues on behalf of RCPA Drug and Alcohol member providers and will be based in Harrisburg. She brings extensive experience in coalition building, legislative and policy advocacy, media and public relations, and public speaking to RCPA.

Most recently, Kristen worked for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR) and National Sexual Violence Resource Center as Chief Public Affairs Officer, where she served as chief spokesperson, promoting both organization’s strategic and policy goals, including raising awareness of the issue and solutions to address it. She is experienced in making complex topics more relatable to the general public, which served her well when meeting with legislators and staff, the Office of the Governor, and other government officials to promote public policies, and when speaking with the media. She is a Governor Appointed member of the PA Commission for Women, and has an array of experience in training, business development, and nonprofit management.

Kristen worked in several other key positions that have intersected with the issues of drug and alcohol treatment and public policy. She served as Executive Director for Centre Volunteers in Medicine, a clinic providing free medical and dental care and case management to qualified residents of Centre County, PA; and as Co-Occurring Task Force Manager for Community Alliance, a project to coordinate care among providers of drugs and alcohol, mental health, and other human services for people with co-occurring disorders who were homeless in Douglas County, Nebraska. She worked on federal legislation, including the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2004, as President of the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, and on statewide policies during her tenure as Director of Programming & Sexual Assault Program Coordinator for the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition.

In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kristen holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska. With many prior commitments, Kristen will begin her full-time position with RCPA in October but will be transitioning into the position beginning in August. On behalf of the RCPA Board of Directors, members, and staff, we welcome Kristen to RCPA.

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CMS NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2019

Contact: CMS Media Relations
(202) 690-6145 | CMS Media Inquiries

 CMS Proposes to cover Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in approved studies

 Proposed decision would add new access to acupuncture for Medicare beneficiaries, as a potential treatment alternative to opioid use, while data is collected on patient outcomes

Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to cover acupuncture for Medicare patients with chronic low back pain who are enrolled participants either in clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or in CMS-approved studies.  Currently, acupuncture is non-covered by Medicare.  CMS conducted evidence reviews to inform today’s proposal, and the agency recognizes that the evidence base for acupuncture has grown in recent years, but questions remain.

“Today’s proposal represents the Trump Administration’s commitment to providing Americans with access to a wide array of options to support their health,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “Defeating our country’s epidemic of opioid addiction requires identifying all possible ways to treat the very real problem of chronic pain, and this proposal would provide patients with new options while expanding our scientific understanding of alternative approaches to pain.”

Acupuncture is a treatment in which practitioners stimulate specific points on the body, most often by inserting thin needles through the skin. CMS has been actively collaborating with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the Opioids Workgroup and Evidence Generation Workgroup to launch studies on acupuncture for the treatment of chronic low back pain in adults 65 years of age and older. Under today’s proposed decision, CMS would continue its collaboration with NIH to further develop evidence to inform future Medicare coverage determinations for acupuncture treatment for beneficiaries with chronic low back pain.

“Chronic low back pain impacts many Medicare patients and is a leading reason for opioid prescribing,” said CMS Principal Deputy Administrator of Operations and Policy Kimberly Brandt.  “Today’s proposed decision would provide Medicare patients who suffer from chronic low back pain with access to a nonpharmacologic treatment option and could help reduce reliance on prescription opioids. CMS will work closely with our sister agencies to monitor outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries receiving acupuncture to inform our understanding of the efficacy of this therapeutic approach.”

To read the proposed decision, visit the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-tracking-sheet.aspx?NCAId=295

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Get CMS news at cms.gov/newsroom, sign up for CMS news via email and follow CMS on Twitter CMS Administrator @SeemaCMS, @CMSgov, and @CMSgovPress.

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This September, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Recovery Month. DDAP is seeking participation in their Annual Recovery Month Kickoff, which will take place on September 4 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. The event will be a bit different from previous years and will be held in the atrium at Strawberry Square; a focal point of downtown Harrisburg with a lot of foot traffic from community members.

By moving the event location from the Capitol Rotunda to Strawberry Square, DDAP hopes the venue change will attract more interaction with community members. DDAP is looking for providers to participate in the September 4 event by setting up a display table with information about your organization and the services that you provide.

Please note that space is limited and participation will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure a table, please email DDAP Communications Director Rachel Kostelac. Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Prior to the July 4 holiday, the House and Senate passed legislation to extend Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) funding from June 30 through July 14. The bill, sent to President Trump for his signature, can be seen here.

RCPA is requesting members to contact their state legislators and ask them to reach out to Governor Wolf and the Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller, to have them accept the federal extension of CCBHC funding.

The areas in Pennsylvania that have CCBHC facilities are as follows:

  • Philadelphia;
  • Delaware and Montgomery counties;
  • Berks County;
  • Allegheny County;
  • Clearfield, Clarion, and Centre counties; and
  • Bradford County.

Please contact RCPA Director of Government Affairs Jack Phillips with any questions.

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New SAMHSA Publication:
Guidance to States and School Systems on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Issues in Schools

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new joint informational bulletin, Guidance to States and School Systems on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Issues in Schools. This guidance includes examples of approaches for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) related treatment services in schools, and describes some of the Medicaid state plan benefits and other Medicaid authorities that states may use to cover these treatment services. Additionally, the guidance summarizes best practice models to facilitate implementation of quality, evidence-based, comprehensive mental health and SUD related services for students.

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Later today, Gov. Tom Wolf is scheduled to announce another renewal — the sixth one since he first made the declaration on January 10, 2018 — of a state opioid disaster declaration. Pennsylvania state law regarding disaster declarations is written to address, primarily, natural disasters, and Wolf’s opioid disaster declaration was the first-of-its-kind health emergency-related disaster declaration. Under state law, a state of disaster emergency may be continued by the Governor for no more than 90 days, unless renewed by the Governor or terminated, at any time, by a concurrent resolution approved by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. His office says he plans to talk about two new opioid-related initiatives at the presser this afternoon in the Governor’s Reception Room in the Main Capitol, and he’ll be joined by State Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman, State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jennifer Smith, members of the Opioid Command Center, and state legislators. Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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