Tag: DEA

MHA Monday Report May 15, 2023

Monday Report
MHA Monday Report

capitol buildingHarmful Nurse Staffing Legislation Introduced in Michigan Legislature

Harmful nurse staffing legislation was introduced May 11 in the Michigan Legislature that would mandate nurse staffing ratios, require public disclosure of the ratios and restrict mandatory overtime for nurses. The bill package is pushed by the Michigan Nurses Association and was ….

Behavioral Health ED Boarding Data Available

Behavioral health emergency department (ED) boarding data the MHA has been collecting on a weekly basis from acute care hospitals across Michigan since March 2023 is now available on the Health Data webpage of the …

Annual Meeting iconMHA Annual Membership Meeting Includes Ways to Support Michigan Hospitals

The MHA membership will convene in person for the MHA Annual Membership Meeting June 28 through 30 at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The annual meeting will feature an outstanding lineup of speakers, the family …

DEA Issues Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications

After delaying the final rule for ending COVID-19 telehealth prescribing rules, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has issued a temporary rule to allow the following: The full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled …

Upcoming Webinars on Medicare FFS Quality-based Programs

The MHA is partnering with DataGen to host two free webinars focused on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) quality-based programs, which can reduce hospital inpatient FFS payments by up to 6%, depending upon hospital performance. The webinars …

Webinar Outlines Practices to Re-engage Patients and Families in Care

Fractured social contracts in today’s world have changed the healthcare landscape and culture. There is a convergence of patient consumerism and digital transformation happening, and those who focus on patient-centered care and person and family …

MHA Keystone Center PSO Safe Table – Health IT & Risk Safety

The MHA Keystone Center PSO is hosting a Health IT & Risk Safety Safe Table from 12:30 to 3 p.m. June 14. The event will be held at Goshen Health, located at 200 High Park …

Direct Care and Behavioral Health Workforce Assessment: Regional Feedback Sessions

Public Sector Consultants and Health Management Associates are partnering with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to gather the perspectives of people impacted by the direct care worker and behavioral health workforce …

MHA Webinar Focuses on Building Trust and Relationships for Trustees

When stakeholders gather to discuss community vitality, the health and wellbeing of the community is not only about access to safe, affordable healthcare, but about non-medical health influences that have an impact on the community. …

MDHHS Releases Beginner Guide for Doula Providers

Michigan Medicaid began reimbursing doula services provided to individuals covered by or eligible for Medicaid as of Jan. 1, 2023. Doula providers are required to be on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services …

The Keckley ReportPaul Keckley

The End of the Pandemic Health Emergency is Ill-timed and Short-sighted: The Impact will further Destabilize the Health Industry

“The national spotlight this week will be on the debt ceiling stand-off in Congress, the end of Title 42 that enables immigrants’ legal access to the U.S., the April CPI report from the Department of Labor and the aftermath of the nation’s 199th mass shooting this year in Allen TX.

The official end of the Pandemic Health Emergency (PHE) Thursday will also be noted but its impact on the health industry will be immediate and under-estimated. …

In the weeks ahead as the debt ceiling is debated, the Federal FY 2024 budget finalized and campaign 2024 launches, the societal value of the entire health system and speculation about its preparedness for the next pandemic will be top of mind. …“

Paul Keckley, May 8, 2023

News to Know

  • Upon the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Health Resources & Services Administration will end a 2020 policy allowing hospitals to use 340B drugs for eligible patients in new hospital locations, even if they have not yet appeared on a filed Medicare cost report.
  • The MHA is hosting the webinar MHA Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE): An Alternative to Traditional Nursing Home care from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. May 23.
  • Completed 2022 occupational mix surveys must be submitted by acute care hospitals paid under the Medicare prospective payment system to the Medicare Administrative Contractor by June 30, 2023.

Brian PetersMHA in the News

The MHA received media coverage the week of May 8 regarding nurse staffing legislation, healthcare worker shortages, the ending of the COVID-19 public health emergency and more. A joint media statement was published May 11 …

DEA Issues Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications

Member News

After delaying the final rule for ending COVID-19 telehealth prescribing rules, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has issued a temporary rule to allow the following:

  • The full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications that were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will remain in place through 11, 2023.
  • Additionally, any practitioner-patient telemedicine relationships established on or before Nov. 11, 2023 will continue to be permitted the full set of telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications as were in place during the COVID-19 PHE through a one-year grace period until Nov. 11, 2024. In other words, if a patient and a practitioner have established a telemedicine relationship on or before Nov. 11, 2023, the same telemedicine flexibilities that have governed the relationship to that point are permitted until Nov. 11, 2024.

In the meantime, the DEA is continuing to evaluate the rule and anticipates implementation of a final regulation permitting the practice of telemedicine under certain circumstances. The goal of this temporary rule is to ensure a smooth transition for patients and practitioners that have come to rely on the availability of telemedicine for controlled medication prescriptions, as well as allowing adequate time for providers to come into compliance with any new standards or safeguards put into place by the DEA.

Members with questions should contact Renée Smiddy at the MHA.

MHA Monday Report May 8, 2023

Monday Report
MHA Monday Report

capitol buildingState Legislation Introduced to Address Violence Against Healthcare Workers, Strengthen Healthy Michigan Plan and Expand Organ Donor Registration

Legislation to increase the penalties for assaulting healthcare employees and volunteers was introduced in the state House of Representatives during the week of May 1. Additional legislation was introduced to remove unnecessary provisions of the …

Michigan’s Largest Private-sector Employer Remains Healthcare

The Partnership for Michigan’s Health reports healthcare directly employed nearly 568,000 Michigan residents in 2021, demonstrating that healthcare remains the largest private-sector employer in the state despite continued staffing losses attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. …

Webinar Reveals New Tool to Improve Person and Family Engagement

The MHA is hosting a webinar from 8:30 to 10 a.m. May 24 to review the newly released MHA Person & Family Engagement Roadmap, which includes recommended policies to re-engage patients and caregivers and …

Final Medicaid Bulletin on Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued a final Medicaid Policy Bulletin May 1 with revisions to the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems Policy. In response to the proposed policy issued April 1, …

speak upE.W. Sparrow Hospital Nurse Receives Q2 MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award

The MHA Keystone Center presented Cheryl Kay, RN, at E.W. Sparrow Hospital with the quarterly MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award, which celebrates individuals or teams in Michigan hospitals demonstrating a commitment to the prevention of …

DEA Delays Ending COVID-19 Telehealth Prescribing Rules

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is delaying draft rules that proposed stricter telehealth limits on providers prescribing controlled substances, like buprenorphine for opioid use disorder or Adderall for ADHD. The DEA will temporarily extend …

MHA Webinar Reviews PACE Programs

With the closure of nursing homes and long-term care facilities, hospitals and health systems need options to care for seniors. Dually eligible frail seniors are one of the most complex cohorts with multiple comorbidities, frequent …

MHA Podcast Explores How Michigan Leaders Can Collaborate to Address Gaps in Behavioral Health

The MHA released another episode of the MiCare Champion Cast, which features interviews with healthcare policy experts in Michigan on key issues that impact healthcare and the health of communities. On episode 29, State Representative …

2023 Ludwig Nominee: Priority Health, National Fitness Campaign Partner to Offer Free Fitness Courts

Since 1990, the MHA has honored member healthcare organizations working to enrich the overall welfare of their local communities through the Ludwig Community Benefit Award. This year, the MHA is excited to showcase all award nominees, …

MHA Rounds Report - Brian Peters, MHA CEOMHA CEO Report — Attracting Healthcare Talent

Talent acquisition is always top of mind for all business leaders. Demand for workers now outpaces supply throughout the U.S., but particularly here in Michigan due to our demographic realities, including an aging baby-boom generation entering retirement in significant numbers. …

The Keckley Report

Paul KeckleyThe Tit for Tat Game in Healthcare produces No Winners

“Tit for Tat battles in healthcare are nothing new. Last week, they were on full display. …

Most of the food fights in healthcare like last week’s revolve around each sector’s unique response to the three challenges above. That’s why they exist: to protect the interests of their members and advocate on their behalf. All believe their mission and vision is essential to the greater good and the moral high ground theirs. Some are imperiled more than others: not for profit, rural and safety net hospitals, long-term care operators, direct caregivers and public health programs at the top of this list.

Educating lawmakers is necessary but what’s needed is serious, objective forward-looking definition of the U.S. health system’s future. The tit for tat game will not solve anything. That’s where we are. …“

Paul Keckley, May 1, 2023

News to Know

  • National Hospital Week 2023 is May 7-13.
  • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services created a series of short videos to help providers and community partners navigate policies impacted by the ending of the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
  • Registration remains open for the 2023 MHA Annual Membership Meeting, scheduled June 28 through 30 at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
  • Completed 2022 occupational mix surveys must be submitted by acute care hospitals paid under the Medicare prospective payment system to the Medicare Administrative Contractor by June 30, 2023.

MHA CEO Brian Peters speaks with WLNS.MHA in the News

The MHA received media coverage the week of May 1 on the economic impact of healthcare in Michigan and planned state legislation that would require nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals. Crain’s Grand Rapids Business published …

DEA Delays Ending COVID-19 Telehealth Prescribing Rules

Member News

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is delaying draft rules that proposed stricter telehealth limits on providers prescribing controlled substances, like buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) or Adderall for ADHD. The DEA will temporarily extend COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities as they “work to find a way forward to give Americans access with appropriate safeguards.” It is unclear how long the extension will last.

The delay follows thousands of complaints filed with the DEA on the proposal to require in-person evaluations to continue controlled substance medications and tighter standards aimed at ensuring patients are adequately screened to prevent improper prescriptions. The MHA submitted a federal comment letter regarding this issue.

Members with questions should contact Renée Smiddy at the MHA.

DEA Change in X-Waiver Requirement

Member News

President Biden approved the elimination of the DATA Waiver (X-Wavier) requirement and several other prescribing practice changes when he signed Dec. 29 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. Changes to prescribing practices include:

  • No longer requiring the X-Waiver to treat patients with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
  • Removing any limits or caps on the number of patients a prescriber may treat with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder.
  • Only requiring a standard Drug Enforcement Administration registration number for all prescriptions for buprenorphine moving forward.
  • Maintaining existing state laws or regulations that may be applicable.
  • Introducing new training requirements for all prescribers that are expected to take effect June 21, 2023. These requirements have not yet been made clear, but do not impact the elimination of the X-Waiver.

Biden held an event at the White House Jan. 24 celebrating the policy change as a bipartisan success that will increase access to medication for opioid use disorder. The additional barriers the X-Waiver presented deterred providers from offering these services and a similar license was never required for prescribing other controlled substances like opioids.

Current laws and regulations in Michigan have not changed because of the changes to federal X-Waiver requirements, but the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is in the process of revising substance use disorder (SUD) rules that would no longer require a SUD program license for buprenorphine providers. The Michigan Public Health code currently states:

  • A substance use disorder services program license is required if a prescriber is providing buprenorphine treatment to more than 100 individuals OR is providing methadone treatment.
  • No license is needed if a prescriber is administering buprenorphine treatment to less than 100 individuals at a time.

Michigan’s current rules and regulations regarding prescribing buprenorphine are available on the LARA Substance Abuse Program Licensure webpage.

Members will be updated once the revised SUD rules are approved by the Michigan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Updated federal information will be available on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.

Members with questions should contact the MHA Keystone Center.