Thompson takes over for Robin O'Brien, who retired in June. Deputy Commissioner of Family and Community Services Michael Romano had been temporarily overseeing the Mental Health Department in the interim. Read more here.

“Now more than ever, it is important to raise awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol and promote healthy ways to deal with anxiety and stress,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Co-Chair of the NYS Heroin and Opioid Task Force. Read more here.

Columbia County is searching for a highly skilled community and mental health professional responsible for the oversight of the Columbia County Department of Human Services, its services and the provision of a comprehensive mental hygiene system of services. In addition, the Director will serve on the Community Services Board and its’ three (3) subcommittees: Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities. The Director will work under the general supervision of the Community Services Board and the County Board of Supervisors’ Health and Medical Committee.

Click here for the full job description

November 9, 2 - 3 pm, National Association of Counties

November 16, 2 - 3 pm, National Academy for State Health Policy

November 17, 6 - 7 pm, NYSPI, Columbia University

November 18, 12 - 1 pm, Coordinated Care Services, Inc.

Accelerating Primary Care Innovation through Medicaid Managed Care in the Time of COVID-19

November 19, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc.

The Regional Planning Consortium (RPC) is proud to share its third "Quarterly Update Report," which highlights activities conducted by the rest-of-state RPC by region during July 1 - September 30, 2020. We would like to thank our more than 800 statewide stakeholders and various State Office partners for their continued participation in and commitment to the RPC.

www.clmhd.org/rpc for more information.

United Behavioral Health must now reprocess 67,000 claims it denied for 50,000 people from 2011 to 2017, U.S. district court Judge Joseph Spero wrote, and for the next decade must decide claims using independent guidelines developed by professional mental health associations instead of its internal guidelines, which it had used “to protect its bottom line.”

The insurer has not decided whether it will appeal, said UnitedHealth Group spokesman Eric Hausman in an email, but “we are reviewing the order and considering our options.” United Behavioral Health would have to reprocess claims during the appeals process unless the judge approves a potential request to stay the order. Read more here.

On September 30, 2020, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) and Department of Health (DOH) promulgated regulations requiring health insurers operating in the state to develop and implement a mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) parity compliance program. Health plans are required to have these parity compliance programs in place by December 29, 2020, and must annually attest to the DFS or DOH that such programs are in place.

With these regulations, New York joins other states that have recently increased the rigor with which they scrutinize non-quantitative treatment limitations (NQTLs) for behavioral health conditions. While federal law obligates insurers to impose NQTLs on MH/SUD services no more stringently than on medical and surgical (med/surg) services, states, and in some cases individual litigants, principally enforce these parity rules against insurers under the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and state counterparts. This has created some degree of state variability in what is an inherently thorny and unpredictable area of health plan compliance. Read more here.

This is evidenced by the fact that the mental and behavioral healthcare crisis has not abated: a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) report recently found that a third of Millennials have a behavioral health condition. Depression among Millennials rose by 43 percent from 2014 to 2018.

According to Salvatore Cieri, clinical coordinator of behavioral health services for BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York (BlueCross BlueShield), there are two pitfalls that payers’ screenings may exhibit. Read more here.

The COVID-19 outbreak has significantly impacted the delivery of behavioral health services, which had to modify rapidly from in-person to remote, according to a Rutgers study published in the Community Mental Health Journal.

"Understanding this impact is particularly important as these services support vulnerable populations that may be at higher risk for coronavirus infection as well as other negative consequences," says lead author Kenneth Gill, chair of the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers School of Health Professions. He discusses their findings here.

Overdose fatality reviews (OFRs) have emerged in recent years as one of the best strategies—and hopes—yet to save lives in the nationwide battle against substance abuse. By coordinating the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of law enforcement and EMS personnel, medical examiners, public and behavioral health, child and social services providers, and others, OFRs enable communities to spot missed opportunities for intervention, identify service gaps, and improve collaboration to prevent future deaths.

In September, BJA took a major step toward helping communities realize OFRs’ potential by launching an online package of tools, expert guidance, and training opportunities on the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) Resource Center to support the implementation of OFRs, both for COSSAP grantees and the field generally. Read more here.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, it has become evident that people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are among the nation’s most at-risk for and vulnerable to the virus. With this group of individuals largely receiving care in uncoordinated, fragmented systems, it is critical to identify opportunities to strengthen programs and policies to best support this population during the pandemic and in the future. Integrated care programs offer opportunities to align enrollment, care coordination, and incentives across payers and providers to support positive health and care outcomes. This report distills insights about COVID-19 response efforts from states and health plans that offer integrated programs.