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Substance Use Disorder

The opioid crisis in Pennsylvania and in America has resulted in a major call to action from Pennsylvania’s leadership as well as national leaders. Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health calls for increased integration of primary care and addiction services. Join one of the authors of the report, Dr. Connie Weisner, in a discussion of the findings and what efforts are needed to support integrating screening, assessments, interventions, use of medications, and care coordination. Hear practical examples from an HRSA-funded primary care provider about the steps they take to successfully and continually address substance use.

The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions will host a webinar focusing on the substance use and opioid crisis and coordinated care on Thursday, January 5, 2017, 3:00 pm.

After this webinar, participants will:

  • Understand the key findings related to integration of substance use and primary care services detailed within The Surgeon General’s report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health;
  • Identify concrete ways primary care settings can integrate substance use treatment and early intervention activities into their services;
  • Describe why early intervention activities such as SBIRT are important to overall health;
  • Gain ideas for using the report to educate staff, board, and clients to facilitate conversation about addictions; and
  • Learn about useful resources for setting up and providing substance use services in an integrated health setting.

Register here →

The Integration Edge is a new resource from the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) that outlines practical tips and examples from organizations that have been working to integrate primary and behavioral health care. CIHS has been exploring partnerships, confidentiality issues, and sharing information and data-driven care. CIHS will regularly update The Integration Edge with new topics and practical examples. Whole person, health care focused practitioners and provider organizations looking for additional advice or with a topic they would like to see highlighted can visit this new website or contact CIHS by phone 202-684-7457 or email.

Know about the latest topics as they are added to The Integration Edge when you sign up for the email as the center adds new topics and other news related to integration.

Patrick Kennedy, former United States Representative and founder of the Kennedy Forum, has issued an open letter to the heads of the leading insurance companies in response to the findings of last week’s Surgeon General’s report. The report, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, addresses a broad array of issues, ranging from illicit drug abuse to prescription drug addiction, alcohol use, binge drinking, and teen alcoholism. Mr. Kennedy’s letter urges the commercial nation’s health industry to take action in five key areas:

  1. Eliminate the onerous medical management practices responsible for inadequate, ineffective treatment of addiction;
  2. Immediately ensure that all plans cover and reimburse for well-supported medication-assisted treatment (MAT), including buprenorphine, buprenorphine-naloxone, buprenorphine-hydrochloride, methadone, naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram, at rates equal to coverage for medications used to treat other forms of chronic illness;
  3. Incentivize greater coordination of care;
  4. Adequately disclose processes for ensuring parity compliance;
  5. Promote screening and work with communities to implement prevention interventions.

Each of these requests is clarified in further detail in the letter. Patrick Kennedy was the prime sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and author of the book, A Common Struggle (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Random House, 2015).

Yesterday, a Texas federal judge issued a temporary injunction to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) overtime rule. In granting the preliminary injunction, the federal judge said the DOL’s overtime rule exceeds the authority the agency was granted by Congress.

As you may recall, the DOL’s overtime rule was announced in May, and it has been opposed by many businesses and nonprofits. The rule was to take effect on December 1 of this year. Now with yesterday’s ruling, it is likely that President-elect Trump’s administration, which opposed the rule, will have time to review it and make changes and/or roll back various provisions contained in the current rule.

The DOL could appeal the Tuesday ruling, but with the Obama administration only having approximately two months in office, an appeal is unlikely. With many RCPA members already implementing and announcing changes to comply with the DOL’s overtime rule, it might be difficult for those members to roll back these changes, because it may impact employee morale. As further information is released, RCPA will provide additional guidance to members. Please contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs with any questions.

Robena Web Edited

RCPA is pleased to announce the hiring of Robena Spangler as the new director for its Children’s Division. Robena has worked for NHS Human Services for many years in several key positions, including operations resource specialist, regional director – children’s services, director of out of home services and gender responsive services, and children and youth program specialist. In addition to her bachelor’s degree in sociology/human services, she holds an MS degree in leadership and professional advancement from Duquesne University.

Robena will begin in this position on September 26 – just in time for the RCPA Annual Conference. As many of you know, Connell O’Brien serves as the current children’s services director and will be retiring. Connell will remain with RCPA to assist in the transition and to continue with select initiatives. Please join us in welcoming Robena to RCPA!

The RCPA Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Steven Alwine, CEO of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of York, as its newest member. Steve has worked at HealthSouth for almost 25 years. He was promoted in 2002 to chief financial officer at HealthSouth Nittany Valley and returned to York in 2011 as chief executive officer. He currently fills a vacancy for an unexpired term ending June 30, 2017, as an RCPA director-at-large.

In addition, the board also selected Charles Barber, CEO of Erie County Care Management, Inc., to complete the unexpired term ending June 30, 2017, as board treasurer. Charlie has already been serving on the RCPA Board of Directors, but was recently voted to fill the vacant officer position of treasurer.

Join us in congratulating these individuals in their appointments. For a complete listing of the RCPA board members, please visit our website.

The Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Aging just announced their selection of three managed care organizations (MCOs) for Community HealthChoices (CHC). CHC will coordinate physical health and long-term services and supports (LTSS) to individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, older Pennsylvanians, and individuals with disabilities.

Through a review of a request for proposals, the following MCOs have been selected to proceed with negotiations to deliver services statewide in Pennsylvania beginning in 2017:

  • AmeriHealth Caritas
  • Pennsylvania Health and Wellness (Centene)
  • UPMC for You

CHC will roll out in three phases. Persons eligible for CHC are individuals aged 21 or older who have both Medicare and Medicaid, or who receive long-term services and supports through Medicaid because they need help with everyday activities of daily living.