telehealth

2024 - Most Commonly Used Addiction Treatment and Behavioral Health CPT Codes for Billing and Reimbursement

When the CMS drops a new update to existing codes, it’s considered a “new codeset” - a shiny new box of codes that addiction treatment billers can use to communicate about services rendered with insurance payers. 

2024 Update! Mastering CPT Codes for Residential Addiction Treatment Services: H0017, H0018, H0019

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also known as CMS, released their annual update to CPT/HCPCS codes on September 8th, 2023. 

Cybersecurity and Behavioral Health: How to Protect Your Addiction Treatment Organization

As behavioral health professionals, we are entrusted with some of the most sensitive and powerful information in our patients’ lives. We owe to our patients to protect this privilege carefully. 

Top 4 Most Wanted EMR Features for Addiction Treatment in 2024

ChatGPT, AI, Telehealth. in 2024, addiction treatment organizations are increasingly looking to EHR vendors to leverage these developments for improved patient outcomes and more efficient, affordable, accessible care. 

TheraNest's Failure to Support Addiction & Mental Health Inpatient & Outpatient Facilities

TheraNest consistently receives high ratings for its functionality in solo and small group practice settings, but can it keep pace with the demands of larger group practices and outpatient programs?

Therapy Notes is a Bad Fit for Group Practice and Outpatient Programs Looking for a Behavioral Health EMR

Therapy Notes may not be the best choice for your small solo or group practice if you have an eye on expanding in the future.

Comparing Bestnotes With Behave Health: Which EMR is Right for Your Addiction Treatment Facility?

Take a look at how Bestnotes and Behave Health compare in terms of behavioral health EHR utility, value and ease of use.

Comparing ICANotes With Behave Health: What's the Best EMR for Your Behavioral Health Organization?

Comparison shopping Behave Health and ICANotes for your next behavioral health EHR purchase? 

Even Post-Pandemic, Virtual Addiction Treatment Care Will be Here to Stay

Surveys show that 2 in 3 addiction treatment providers who adopted telehealth in response to the pandemic will maintain a telehealth presence after the pandemic wanes. Why?


How to Run Better Virtual Group Counseling Sessions at Your Addiction Treatment Center

With the pandemic raging, many addiction treatment centers have pivoted to a more online format. Virtual group therapy is becoming the norm, introducing a new set of challenges for practitioners.

How is Your Addiction Treatment Center Preparing for a Post-COVID World?

Addiction treatment providers are scrambling to respond to COVID, but what about a post-COVID world? How can we prepare for the future?

COVID-19 has created a perfect storm in the addiction treatment world. It seems these days we are being hammered from all sides: economic uncertainty, political (and policy) uncertainty and, of course, uncertainty about the course of the novel coronavirus itself. While all studies being done currently point to a massive surge in substance abuse in the United States, overall admissions in treatment are down as social isolation and concerns about safety erect new barriers to treatment. Some surveys are finding that 64% of addiction treatment centers are currently reporting revenue losses directly tied to the pandemic.

We’ve written extensively here about what you can do at your addiction treatment center to address the pandemic from a public health and economic health perspective. Certainly many readers are preoccupied with the day-to-day of responding to the crisis at hand as it continues to evolve. 

It’s hard to think outside of this moment, but, as businesspeople, it’s important that we try. 

Ask yourself: what happens next? What happens after COVID-19 is finally “over” (or at least more managed) and life no longer revolves around mitigating the risks associated with this virus? 

What is your addiction treatment center doing to prepare for the post-COVID world? 

 Today, we’ll look at 4 things that appear to be on the horizon for the addiction treatment community and give you suggestions on what your organization might begin to do to prepare for what comes next.

Addiction Treatment Post-COVID Reality #1: Telehealth Is Here to Stay 

Telehealth has made huge inroads very quickly into the addiction treatment community in response to COVID> It’s probably here to stay, so what is your addiction treatment center doing to prepare?

In the wake of the pandemic, the vast majority of our readers have shifted their addiction treatment centers to rely heavily on telehealth services. Many of you are still offering in-person services, of course, and in some instances that level of care is absolutely necessary. But for those patients where telehealth is appropriate, it makes sense to improve social distancing for staff and patients by keeping unnecessary visits down. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services renewed their COVID-19 emergency declaration for a third time last month, extending changed Medicare and Medicaid rules that allow for the reimbursement of telehealth services for members of those programs. Private insurers have also shifted to embracing telehealth coverage for patients during the pandemic. 

Within the addiction treatment community, the migration to telehealth happened quickly in response to the pandemic, despite an historic resistance to pivoting away from face-to-face care. Despite concerns, most addiction treatment centers have seen no decrease in productivity or program effectiveness. Many have reported a marked decrease in no-shows. 

It is reasonable to expect the trend towards telehealth to continue after COVID-19 as patients and providers gain a level of comfort with the modality. 

If your facility is struggling with telehealth delivery, now is the time to address that problem. Be sure that your addiction treatment center is set up with the best EHR to handle the job. 

Addiction Treatment Post-COVID Reality #2: National Trauma and Delayed Care Means a Tsunami of SUD Patients 

Addiction treatment providers: prepare for patients post-COVID.. Lots of patients.

It doesn’t take an addiction treatment professional to know that the national stress and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic - as well as the economic and political stress that goes along with it - will cause more people to turn to drugs of abuse than ever before. Research is already proving that rates of addiction are skyrocketing in response to the difficulties we are all experiencing right now. What’s more, people in recovery are finding themselves relapsing as the routines and support structures they rely on are compromised by the pandemic.

It’s clear that we can expect a huge wave of addiction treatment patients in the near-future.

For addiction treatment centers, that means planning for a huge influx of patients at a time when cash flow is slowing to a trickle. It’s an impossible position. 

What low-cost improvements can your organization make right now to help prepare for that eventual bump in admissions? When making new hires and acquiring new properties is out of the question, focus on tightening up what you already have. Updating your software is a great way to improve efficiency and productivity without investing too much capital. 

Addiction Treatment Post-COVID Reality #3: Demand for MAT WIll be at an All-Time High

MAT rules have become more lax during the pandemic. That means more patients are going to have access now and are going to want access in the future. In other words, MAT is on a roll. The post-COVID addiction treatment community is going to need to …

As restrictions around Suboxone and Methadone have loosened, patients are proving that they can handle the responsibility of take-home medications, despite the risks of diversion and abuse. Now that MAT patients - and providers - are growing accustomed to skipping the frequent (if not daily) in-clinic visits, it will be very difficult to go back to the older, more strict MAT rules. It seems likely that this is the “new normal” when it comes to MAT. With the rules relaxed and barriers removed, it makes sense that more patients will flock to these evidence-based medicines to help with their opioid addiction.  

If your addiction treatment program shuns MAT patients and relies on an abstinence-only method, now is the time to reconsider your approach. While many organizations still rely on this older approach to recovery, it would be reckless to fail to notice that the tide is turning. 

Addiction Treatment Post-COVID Reality #4: More States Decriminalizing Drugs Means Fewer Court-Mandated Patients 

Decriminalization of hard drugs and legalization of “soft” drugs like marijuana is gaining steam in the United States, which spells a future with fewer court ordered treatment patients. What is your addiction treatment center doing to prepare for th…

Oregon just voted to decriminalize possession of all drugs of abuse. Though it’s the only state in the union to do so, the Drug Policy Alliance, the national non-profit behind the Oregon measure, has its eyes set on passing more legislation to decriminalize drugs throughout our country. Regardless of what you believe personally about decriminalization, the effects on the addiction treatment industry remain the same. 

In states that legalize drugs, we will see fewer court-ordered treatment patients. 

For addiction treatment centers that rely heavily on the justice system for new admissions, these changes could be existential. 

If this describes your addiction treatment organization, begin thinking now about how you will pivot in response to this change. It could mean improving your outreach efforts to certain communities, planning to invest in advertising campaigns or shifting your focus to a different niche within addiction treatment. Keep an eye out for developments in your state and plan accordingly.

We’re Here To Help 

At BehaveHealth, we are committed to supporting the addiction treatment community through this turbulent time. Our cloud-based software solution is designed especially for addiction treatment providers just like you. We continue to update our software in response to the changing treatment environment so that you can forget about the tech and focus on providing the best care possible to your patients. Claim your free trial to see how we can help your addiction treatment organization thrive today.

5 Ways Your Addiction Treatment Center Needs to Respond to COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the United States—and the rest of the world—it’s time to evaluate your addiction treatment center’s emergency response to the public health crisis.