Project Highlights
In September 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act Planning Grant to the Nevada Division of Health Care Finance and Policy (DHCFP) for $1,684,013 over 18 months, October 2019 through March 2021.
The purpose of the planning grant is to increase the capacity of Medicaid providers to deliver Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment or recovery services through:
- An ongoing assessment of the substance use disorder treatment needs of the state; and
- Recruitment, training, and technical assistance for Medicaid providers that offer substance use disorder treatment or recovery services; and
- Improved reimbursement for and expansion of the number or treatment capacity of Medicaid providers.
Program Areas of Focus
The information below summarizes the grantee’s initial areas of focus through the planning grant awards, which are to:
- Engage the provider community through a planning committee to assess the capacity, qualifications, and willingness of Medicaid-enrolled providers to deliver SUD treatment and/or recovery services, including all forms of medication assisted treatment (MAT) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration consistent with the SUPPORT Act section 1006(b) across a continuum of settings to Medicaid-eligible individuals.
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Develop a comprehensive MAT policy and Medicaid Service Manual (MSM) Chapter, providing an alternative payment methodology for MAT services for opioid use disorder (OUD) and ancillary services.
- Explore use of remote patient monitoring or telehealth for patients with chronic conditions, including psychotherapy as a part of behavioral health services as well as use of technology-based treatment and recovery support tools.
- Develop and disseminate comprehensive perinatal care practice standards, including universal screening and plans of safe care for pregnant women using substances and infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
- Increase SUD provider capacity through education, communication, and collaboration with clear cut MAT policies for providers and their team.
Key Focus Sub-Population
Pregnant, postpartum, prenatal women, and infants (including those with neonatal abstinence syndrome); and adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 21.
Overview
Through the SUPPORT Act planning grant, DHCFP aims to increase the capacity of Medicaid providers to provide substance use disorder treatment and recovery services through ongoing needs assessments, recruitment and training, as well as improved reimbursement for SUD and OUD treatment and recovery services.
One of the methods DHCFP will use to increase access to SUD and OUD treatment and recovery services includes increasing the number of providers eligible to provide some level of SUD services. Nevada is a largely rural state resulting in communities that may be isolated from behavioral healthcare services. The SUPPORT Grant funding will be used to conduct community engagement activities across Nevada and to gather information which will be used to improve the education materials and training activities available to Medicaid SUD and OUD providers. Additionally, this information will be used to develop the strategic priorities for each county and the state overall to inform future projects and initiatives.
DHCFP will also create a comprehensive Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) strategy and develop a corresponding chapter in the Nevada State Medicaid Services Manual (MSM). The current Mental Health and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services Chapter in the MSM is complex and does not provide clear guidelines or activities for providers. Through the planning grant, DHCFP seeks to eliminate the challenges faced by providers that may hinder their willingness and ability to provide treatment and recovery services.
DHCFP also targets the sub-population of pregnant and postpartum women and their infants to address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Currently, DHCFP is targeting this health outcome with its Opioid Use Disorder, Maternal Outcomes, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Initiative (OMNI). Under the SUPPORT Act Planning Grant, DHCFP will develop and disseminate comprehensive perinatal care practice standards, including universal screening protocols and discharge criteria, plans of safe care, and development of a provider training toolkit.
An update on the progress on this planning grant can be found here.