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The article discusses the white paper released by Leavitt Partners on April 17, 2018 that urge mental health services providers to implement a measurement-based system where validated symptom rating scales for patient with major depressive disorder (MDD) are performed during visits. It notes that MDD is a serious comorbidity with numerous other medical conditions including hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes.

Taking into account the everyday decisions medical professionals have to make about patient care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorder challenges, a white paper has been published that offers much needed guidance to help key stakeholders throughout the behavioral health field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Last week's issue featured the announcement of a new payment model for addiction treatment, a combination of capitated and bundled reimbursement that places the treatment provider at risk in the event of repeat admissions. Greg Williams, executive vice president of Facing Addiction with NCADD, described the rationale for the system: Treatment providers should not be paid if patients don't get well. Anne Marie Polak, senior director at Leavitt Partners and in charge of the “Incentivizing Recovery” project the organization is convening, described the basics of how the project works. None of the treatment organizations participated in the project, which resulted in the white paper released Sept. 7 (see ADAW, Sept. 17). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary manner by which states have been using Medicaid to expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment may actually be making it more difficult for individuals to receive the services most appropriate to their needs, a newly released paper suggests. Moreover, this preferred strategy in many cases violates the law, authors with the National Health Law Program contend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An over‐reliance on federal block grants and "one‐off" funding initiatives has left the addiction treatment system under‐resourced to respond to an addiction crisis that stands to be at least as deadly as COVID‐19 during the span of the Biden administration, a trio of prominent researchers argue in a newly released policy paper. The authors suggest that the new administration and Congress should prioritize efforts to build on what they consider the most impactful developments in improving access and quality in addiction treatment, such as Medicaid expansion and parity mandates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a white paper issued by Beacon Health Options "Confronting the Crisis of Opioid Addication" calling for a focus on outpatient medication-assisted treatment by primary care. Topics discussed include its focus on the need to treat opioid addiction as chronic condition, its criticism of providers of detox who did not participate in the continuum of care needed for chronic conditions and its support for 10 levels of care of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).

A new payment model for addiction and recovery services was released last week in the form of a white paper called “Incentivizing Recovery.” The model, which is based on bundling — multiple providers get paid from the same fee — and capitation — the fee is preset, as in managed care – was proposed by Leavitt Partners, Facing Addiction with NCADD and Remedy Partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]