Responding to Requests from Law Enforcement for Patient and Client Information
Recent changes in immigration enforcement policy that give immigration officials greater latitude to conduct enforcement activities at hospitals and other health care facilities should prompt health care providers to review their policies and trainings for responding to requests for information from law enforcement agencies. Many federal and state law enforcement agencies regularly...
Can a federal agency terminate a grant if the agency determines that the grant no longer furthers an agency’s priorities?
That question has come up often since the OMB memorandum issued last week that directed federal agencies to suspend funding for a host of federal programs while the programs are reviewed in the light of recent Executive Orders. Federal courts will now grapple with broad constitutional and administrative law issues about the...
Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s Healthcare Facilities in Responding to Immigration Issues
The California Attorney General’s Office recently published updated guidance and model policies for hospitals to use in understanding their state and federal obligations to provide health care to patients and to protect patients’ rights to privacy and access to health care in California.
Included are suggestions for how to...
Telehealth Flexibilities Expiring Dec. 31, 2025
Temporary measures that have broadened Medicare coverage of telehealth since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic will expire soon, putting providers and some Medicare beneficiaries at risk for interruption in care. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress and HHS temporarily lifted restrictions on telehealth, and many of those temporary measures have...
SAMHSA Issues Guidance on 2024 Final Rule for Opioid Treatment Programs.
Hot of the press! In late November 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released guidance on implementing its 2024 final rule that made some of the most significant updates to standards for the operation of opioid treatment programs and the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder in...
Contingency Management for Substance Use Disorder Treatment
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), contingency management is widely considered the most effective treatment for stimulant use disorder, and also shows promise as an effective treatment for other forms of substance use disorder. Contingency management involves providing incentives — such as modest financial amounts on a gift...
Medi-Cal Guidance for Mobile Narcotic Treatment Programs
DHCS issued guidance in Jan. 2024 for operators of mobile narcotic treatment programs, which are becoming a more effective approach to providing care to persons with opioid use disorder living in remote areas. The DHCS guidance provides information on the requirements for operating mobile narcotic treatment programs under Medi-Cal.
Revised Federal Standards for Opioid Abuse Treatment Programs
According to HHS, in the 12-month period ending Jan. 2023, close to 110,000 persons died from overdoses. HHS issued final rules on Feb. 2, 2024 that make some of the most significant updates in close to 20 years to the standards for the operation of opioid use disorder treatment programs and the...
SAMHSA Tribal Opioid Response Grants –Notice of Funding Opportunity
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) published a notice of funding available to assist in addressing the opioid overdose crisis in Tribal communities by increasing access to FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (MOUD), and supporting the continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support...