Government & Regulation

Morgan Medlock, MD, Colorado's inaugural chief of the state's behavioral health administration, has left the position after serving just 15 months, according to an April 17 report from the Colorado Sun.

CMS released its 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters Final Rule, which includes measures aimed at boosting behavioral healthcare access, increasing coverage accessibility and simplifying the health plan selection process, according to an April 17 news release shared with…

New legislation in Oregon would apply a 50-cent tax on all phone lines in order to fund the state's behavioral health and suicide crisis hotline, The Corvallis Advocate reported April 6. 

Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky has signed a bill into law that will increase funds for mental health services for law enforcement, CBS affiliate WKYT reported April 6. 

CMS issued a proposed rule on April 4 that would update Medicare payment policies and rates for the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System.  Six things to know:

Medicaid reimbursement rates are set by individual states, and they vary wildly between states. Nebraska's Medicaid rates are the best in the nation, at 167 percent the equivalent Medicare rate and more than double the national average.

Medicaid reimbursement rates are set by individual states, and they vary wildly between states. Pennsylvania's Medicaid rates are the worst in the nation, at less than one-third of the equivalent Medicare rate and less than half of the national average.

Behavioral health is undergoing a broad awakening, with both leaders and the public increasingly seeing it as vital. The industry may fail to capture the full momentum of those tailwinds, however, if service bottlenecks and other key obstacles are not…

New legislation in Nebraska would implement a new payment framework for behavioral health and substance misuse providers, which could expand mental health services in the state, StarHerald reported March 29. 

Montana lawmakers have developed a plan of how to spend the $300 million Gov. Greg Gianforte pledged toward behavioral health, NBC affiliate KTVH reported March 29.