As the opioid crisis grows for teens, Boulder Care has expanded its substance use disorder treatment to support adolescents. The company is starting its adolescent services in Washington with UnitedHealthcare Community Plan.
The Covid-19 public health emergency waived a rule that required a practitioner to conduct an in-person medical exam before prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine. Once the public health emergency ends on May 11, those with substance use disorder could be greatly affected, experts are warning.
The ongoing nursing shortage facilitates high turnover rates since nurses know they won’t have difficulties finding new jobs. In order to retain and attract staff, it’s in a facility’s best interest to understand what nurses want.
Enrollees in high-deductible health plans are 6.6% less likely to receive substance use disorder treatment than those without a high-deductible health plan. Having a high-deductible health plan led to 21% less health plan spending, but an increase of 14% in out-of-pocket spending. This can deter some receiving care, the researchers argued.
More than 7% of Hispanic Americans have a substance use disorder, but have less access to treatment than non-Hispanic Americans. The Spanish version of the app will provide the same services as English version, but with a focus on challenges experienced by the Latinx community.
If Medicare expanded coverage of SUD treatment, it would incur an additional $1.9 billion annually, the report estimated. However, this would be offset by about $1.6 billion in savings.
The Nashville-based startup offers services to help people navigate treatment for substance use disorder. It recently raised $75 million, with backers including value-based care investor Valtruis and multiple payers.
Patient expectations continue to evolve, and healthcare practices that fail to adapt risk more than just revenue—they risk losing trust.
Temporary policy changes during the Covid-19 pandemic let people access substance use treatment over telehealth for the first time. Now, healthcare providers and policymakers are watching legislation that would allow patients to continue to access these services virtually.
In a trial last year, a federal judge found that a UnitedHealth subsidiary had illegally denied mental health and substance use disorder claims. The same judge has now ordered the payer to reprocess all the claims and reform its guidelines.
A study assesses the substance use disorder benefits offered through 16 insurance policies.