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Substance Use Disorder

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(Text of Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency February 14 press release)

Harrisburg, PA. — As part of his 2018-19 proposed budget, Governor Tom Wolf is recommending $2 million for new drug courts and the expansion and enhancement of existing courts through an appropriation to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

“Drug courts are a key component in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” PCCD Chairman Charles Ramsey said. “These courts address the underlying addiction and mental health issues of people involved in the criminal justice system while holding them accountable for their actions.”

The 2016-17 budget included $300,000 for drug courts and was expanded to $2 million in the 2017-18 budget. An additional $1 million in federal CURES Act funding was also used during 2017.

Through a competitive grant process, PCCD awarded funding to counties to support the implementation of new drug courts, the expansion of existing drug courts, the expansion of support services to drug court participants, and/or opioid-related treatment services to problem-solving court participants.

“PCCD has a long history of being involved in the expansion of the use of problem-solving courts across the Commonwealth,” Ramsey said. “We will continue to work with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania’s Courts to support activities that improve the operation of drug courts through advanced training and accreditation, as well as expanding the availability of this valuable sentencing alternative.”

For additional information on funding availability and to register for funding notifications, please visit PCCD’s website at www.pccd.pa.gov.

Media contact: Kirsten Kenyon, 717-265-8505

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The Department of Human Services has been working in collaboration with Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), county oversight organizations, and RCPA regarding the concerns and challenges with implementing federal Ordering, Referring and Prescribing (ORP) requirements by the January 1, 2018 deadline. The Department of Human Services has informed RCPA of the following:

  • The ORP requirements for Fee-for-Service continue to apply; i.e., allORP practitioners must be enrolled in the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (MA) Program or the rendering provider will not be paid.
  • In the HealthChoices managed care delivery system, if a rendering network provider submits a claim to an MCO with the National Provider Identifier (NPI) information that results in edits identifying that the non-networkORP is not enrolled in MA, the claim can be paid. However, if the non-MA enrolled ORP has a high volume of claims, the MCO will work with the network provider and non-MA enrolled ORP to have them enroll in MA or work to transition the member to an enrolled MA provider.

Contact your contracting BH-MCO for additional information.

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers 14 self-paced online business courses to behavioral health organizations and providers through BHbusiness. The courses are available at no cost and participants can earn continuing education credits at their own pace.

New courses include Value-Based Purchasing and Bundled Payments. Other course offerings include:

  • Data-Driven Decision Making;
  • New Business Planning;
  • Assessing Your Readiness in Integrating Primary Care;
  • Costing Out Your Services;
  • Effectively Marketing Your Services;
  • Exploring Affiliations and Mergers;
  • Improving Your Third Party Billing System;
  • Planning For the Next Generation of HIT (Health Information Technology);
  • State Assessment on Sustaining SUD Service for Safety Net Populations;
  • Strategic Business Decision Making;
  • Third Party Contract Negotiations; and
  • Eligibility and Enrollment: The ACA, Insurance Eligibility, and Your Business.

The link to the registration page can be found here.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently issued the following information and resources in preparation for the roll-out of Community HealthChoices (CHC) beginning January 2018 in the Southwest zone of the state.

Coming to the Southwest Zone in January 2018

The Department of Human Services (DHS) is committed to open and frequent communication to educate and inform individuals who will move to Community HealthChoices (CHC). It is critical that they are aware of the upcoming changes and are able to make an informed decision on their plan selection. We are using multiple channels to get the message out, and want to ensure that you are aware of upcoming information that potential participants will receive.

  • INFORMATIONAL FLYER

Participants in the Southwest Zone received this flyer (also available in Spanish) in August 2017 to inform them that CHC was coming to their county in January 2018.

  • CHC Community Meetings for Participants

Participants in the Southwest will receive an invitation to community meetings in late September.

There will be more than 40 events in the Southwest Zone, with at least one in each of the 14 impacted counties. The meetings will give more information about CHC, the LIFE program, and answer questions participants may have.

To register for a community meeting, participants can go to www.healthchoices.pa.gov or call 1-833-735-4416. A copy of the invitation is available here.

  • Notices

DHS will mail notices to potential participants beginning today. The notice will inform participants that they will transition to CHC in January and will need to select a health plan, also called a managed care organization (MCO).

The notice also tells potentially eligible participants that they may be eligible for the LIFE program.

Copies of the notices are be available here.

  • Pre-Enrollment Packets

Beginning on October 2, 2017, pre-enrollment packets will be mailed to participants. This packet will contain information about each of the health plans and the benefits offered by each plan, and tell participants how to enroll in a health plan. There will be a toll-free number and website for participants to use to make their selection. A day after the packets are mailed, automated calls will be made to let participants know that the packets are coming.

If participants do not select a health plan, they will get a follow-up call.

Individuals who do not select a plan by November 13, 2017, will be assigned to a plan. Individuals can change their plan at any time.

  • Social Media

DHS’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts make CHC information readily available. If you are not following us yet, please click the provided links to make sure you are receiving all up-to-date information on CHC and all department priorities.

chc-phases-map

(Map, Community HealthChoices Phases)

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A significant number of “avoidable” visits to US emergency departments (EDs) are for mental health and alcohol problems, as well as dental problems, which the ED is not fully equipped to treat. Using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, the researchers analyzed data on 424 million visits made to US EDs between 2005 and 2011 by patients aged 18 to 64 years. The researchers “conservatively” defined “avoidable” ED visits as discharged ED visits that did not require any diagnostic tests, procedures, or medications. The authors of the study from the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco note that: “Emergency physicians are trained to treat life- and limb-threatening emergencies, making it inefficient for patients with mental health, substance abuse, or dental disorders to be treated in this setting.” The study was published online August 31 in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care.

For practitioners, hospitals, and policymakers in Pennsylvania, reports like this and others raise the question: Where can these patients be best served in the community when urgent and emergency behavioral care services are not available in Emergency Departments? And also, how can communities and health care systems plan and practice whole person emergency care in an era of integrated and co-located physical and mental health care?

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August 17, 2017
3:30 – 5:00 pm ET

Presenters:

  • Mitchell Berger, SAMHSA
  • Peggy O’Brien, IBM Watson Health
  • Colleen LaBelle, Boston University Medical Center
  • Mark Stringer, Missouri Department of Mental Health
  • Molly Carney, Evergreen Treatment Services

Register for free
The webinar will cover a forthcoming update to the 2014 SAMHSA report on Medicaid Coverage and Financing of Medications to Treat Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders and will review information on state Medicaid payment policies for medication assisted treatment (MAT).  Speakers also will present case studies of innovative MAT models. This up-to-date information about Medicaid MAT coverage will be helpful for consumers and family members, providers, health plan and Medicaid staff, policymakers and government officials.
After this webinar, participants will:

  • Understand how MAT currently is covered under Medicaid at the state level
  • Understand barriers to MAT coverage and possible actions to improve coverage
  • Be able to describe some innovative financing models

Questions? Send via email.
Disclaimer: This webinar is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The views and opinions expressed and the content of the webinar are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or HHS.

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For Immediate Release

Delilah Rumburg, Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, announced that she will retire after 23 years at the helm of the longest-standing anti-sexual assault coalition in the country.

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