The Trump administration released its proposed 2018 budget today, which rolled back potential budget cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) amid concerns from both parties regarding the effects a reduction could have on the nation's opioid crisis.
Yesterday, the Republican-backed health care bill that aims to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed through the House of Representatives by a narrow margin of 217-213, setting the stage for consideration in the Senate.
Known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), this bill could have a significant impact within the mental health and addiction recovery treatment industries if passed.
Key Points of the American Health Care Act:
Some industry figures believe the bill will have a difficult time making it past the next hurdle. In a Behavioral Healthcare Magazine report, Julius Hobson, former head of Congressional relations for the American Medical Association, said, “the reality is the bill that passed the House has no chance of becoming law because the Senate has made it clear it will not pass that bill as is. They will make substantial changes.”
There is also concern that the ACA repeal, coupled with a AHCA bill provision that allows insurance companies in certain states to disallow mental health and substance abuse, could disrupt critical addiction coverage in the midst of the nation's opioid epidemic.
We will continue reporting on industry developments related to the American Health Care Act as information becomes available.
Electronic enrollments are tremendously valuable to providers. By offering a more streamlined and secure alternative, these enrollments serve to eliminate many of the headaches caused by paper EOBs. Any opportunity to incorporate automation in your process is certainly worth considering, and electronic enrollments make finding and freeing trapped revenue far easier than any analogue method.
But if you're unsure whether electronic enrollment is for you, here are some key facts you should know if you're thinking of making the switch:
MAT, short for medication-assisted treatment, is a concept that's gained significant traction within the substance abuse treatment landscape in recent years. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines MAT as “the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies for the treatment of substance use disorders.”[1] The recent spike in national interest in MAT comes on the heels of a four-fold increase in opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States[2]. While tragic in nature, this epidemic is helping to bring recognition to substance use disorders as a public health concern, prompting policy changes in order to control it. The question now at hand: is MAT the answer to the overdose epidemic? Or for the treatment of substance use disorders in general?
We are proud to do our part in supporting addiction and substance use disorder treatment facilities for the life saving work you do. Our mission is to help you get paid fully and quickly for the services you provide by bringing you revenue cycle management software that gives you full visibility into your financial operations, supports your teams with the tools they need to bill correctly and collect efficiently, and that offers you a sense of control over your business so you can spend more time with your patients – and less managing your claims and chasing payments.
