HHS Privacy Rules for Addiction Treatment May Add Headache for Providers

Want to read more content like this? Subscribe to Addiction Treatment Business today! The newly finalized 42 CFR Part 2 rule, focused on the privacy rights of patients seeking addiction treatment care, creates new opportunities and risks for behavioral health providers. The federal government released the finalized rule at the beginning of the month. It’s intended to […]

Supreme Court Rejects UnitedHealth Appeal, Boosting Behavioral Health Providers’ Standing with Insurers

In case you missed it, Behavioral Health Business has launched a new specialty publication for professionals in the substance use disorder space. You can subscribe to Addiction Treatment Business here: Subscribe today! The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request by United Behavioral Health to hear a behavioral health claim denial case. The case, titled D.K. […]

‘Payer Ghosting’ Further Straining Behavioral Health-Health Plan Relationship

Dating slang is helping behavioral health professionals describe a troubling evolution in payer relations. Payer ghosting. In dating, someone “ghosts” another person when they abruptly stop communicating despite previous interest. In this context, payer ghosting occurs when payers stonewall providers on claim reimbursement. This can be a trickier challenge for providers than the typical payer […]

Giving Teeth To Parity: New York Paves the Way for More Medicaid Managed Care Oversight

The state of New York fined five Medicaid managed care plans a total of $2.6 million for denying claims or failing to pay for specialty behavioral health services. Other states may start to follow New York’s example. The enforcements were filed after New York’s office of mental health conducted a comprehensive examination of behavioral health […]

Legal, Regulatory Uncertainty Could Slow Down Behavioral Health Dealmaking

Several regulatory and macroeconomic shifts created a new era of heightened scrutiny in behavioral health investing. Higher interest rates, workforce challenges and inflation have made investors and acquisitive companies more thoughtful about where they place their bets. On top of the market force headwinds, the Biden administration and some state governments have signaled that they […]

Behavioral Health Industry Flexes Lobbying Muscles to Shape Policy

Behavioral health providers don’t have to accept the status quo when it comes to challenging state markets. Savvy operators can change fundamental aspects of the markets in which they operate through lobbying and advocacy. This is a right — and even civic obligation — for members of the public to push officials to make changes. […]

‘I Don’t Want to Say It’s Easier’: Despite Dire Need, Behavioral Health Operators Continue to Face Pushback on New Constructions

Behavioral health providers continue to face headaches while trying to get new facilities through local zoning processes. The American drug overdose crisis and the wide-reaching impacts of a once-in-a-generation pandemic have shredded the pretense that any given community doesn’t need behavioral health care. Despite this reality, prejudice against those with behavioral health issues, especially substance […]

BHB Invest: Top Legal Issues That Could Make or Break Your Next Behavioral Health Transaction

This article is sponsored by Polsinelli, a national Healthcare and M&A law firm. This article is based on a Behavioral Health Business discussion with Nathaniel ‘Tani’ Weiner, and Bragg Hemme, who along with Paul Gomez, chair Polsinelli’s Behavioral Health Law Group. The discussion took place on October 12, 2022 during the BHB Invest Conference in […]

What Will Define Year-End Behavioral Health Parity Efforts in Congress

Behavioral health parity continues to be a key priority in congressional legislation. And it’s possible that new legislation could pass out of Congress before the end of the year. Leading into the lame-duck session, payers and care providers have called for clarity around parity, continuing a legal and legislative quest that stretches back to the […]