Government & Regulation

Sen. Ron Wyden says he is "hard at work" drafting legislation to regulate residential behavioral treatment facilities. 

Here are three mental treatment updates that affect the field of behavioral health, as reported by Becker's since April 11:

Both major party nominees for president offer scant details on how they would handle mental health. 

U.S. lawmakers are pushing the FDA to approve MDMA, more commonly known as ecstasy or molly, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. 

CMS will bump inpatient psychiatric payments slightly in 2025. 

The Joint Commission is updating its accreditation manual for behavioral health and human services providers to include an updated definition of "restraint," among other changes. 

HHS will put $2.5 million toward developing a multistate social worker license compact. 

Illinois will ban prior authorization for inpatient mental health treatment. 

Opioid treatment providers would be able to offer more services through telehealth under CMS' proposed Medicare payment rules for 2025. 

CMS is proposing adding Medicare reimbursement for creating safety plans and follow-up services for patients in crisis.