Reuters (1/17, Roy) reports the administration “on Wednesday finalized a rule requiring health insurers to set time targets for the prior authorization process for patients seeking approval for medical services under government-backed insurance plans.” CMS “said the rule will begin primarily in 2026.” The new “rule applies to health insurance companies providing government backed-insurance plans such as Medicare” and Medicaid.

The Hill (1/17, Weixel ) reports that under the final rule, “health insurers participating in Medicare Advantage, Medicaid or the ObamaCare exchanges will need to respond to expedited prior authorization requests within 72 hours, and standard requests within seven calendar days.” The new “rule requires all impacted payers to include a specific reason for denying a prior authorization request.” Payers “will also be required to publicly report prior authorization metrics.”

Modern Healthcare (1/17, Bennett, Subscription Publication) reports “the regulation will take effect 60 days after it formally appears in the Federal Register.” In a press release, AMA President Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, said, “The American Medical Association applauds Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator [Chiquita] Brooks-LaSure for heeding patients and the physician community in a final rule that makes important reforms in government-regulated health plans’ prior authorization programs for medical services.”

Related Links:

— “US govt sets rule meant to speed up insurance approvals,” Reuters, January 17, 2024

The Washington Post (1/18, Cimons) reports, “A daily multivitamin may slow memory loss among those 60 and older by about two years, according to a study” that “is the third in a series of studies assessing the cognitive effects of a daily multivitamin on older adults.”

Moreover, “a systematic review, or meta-analysis, of the three studies accompanying the most recent paper said their cumulative results were similar: The group taking a multivitamin was two years younger in memory function compared with the group taking a placebo.” The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The New York Times (1/18, Callahan, Smith) and NBC News (1/18, Sullivan) also cover the story.

Related Links:

— “More evidence suggests a multivitamin may help slow memory loss,” Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, January 18, 2024

Psychiatric News (1/18) reports, “Over the past year, U.S. adults reported the greatest anxiety about inflation, a recession, and gun violence, according to analysis of monthly data collected from APA’s Healthy Minds Poll in 2023.” Data from “the December poll” indicated that “many adults (38%) reported being anxious about their mental health, which has been a consistent finding over the past year.”

Meanwhile, “forty-four percent of adults said they expect to experience the same level of stress at the start of 2024 as they did at the start of 2023, while a quarter of respondents expect to experience more stress.”

Related Links:

— “Healthy Minds Poll Provides Insight Into Americans’ Anxieties Over Past Year,” Psychiatric News, January 18, 2024

HCPlive (1/17, Pine ) reports the FDA “has extended the shelf-life of 4 mg naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray (Narcan) for nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) use from 3 years to 4 years.”

The new “approval only applies to nasal spray products produced” after Wednesday. According to HCPlive, “the shelf-life of products produced and distributed prior to the announcement have not been affected; therefore prescribers, patients, and caregivers should continue to adhere to the expiration date printed on the product’s packaging and labeling.”

Related Links:

— “FDA Extends Shelf-Life for Naloxone Nasal Spray,” Lana Pine, HCP Live, January17 , 2024

NBC News (1/17) reports, “The suicide rate for Hispanic people in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade,” and this “trend has community leaders worried: Even elementary school-aged Hispanic children have tried to harm themselves or expressed suicidal thoughts.”

A “lack of access to mental health care is a problem for all segments of society, particularly since the beginning of the pandemic. But minorities face added economic and societal obstacles, said Maria Oquendo, a past president of the American Psychiatric Association and a suicide researcher.”

Related Links:

— “Rising Latino suicide rates worry community leaders,” Molly Castle Work and Andy Miller, NBC News, January 17, 2024

The Hill (1/17, Sforza ) reports that on Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs “announced…that 49,714 veterans and former service members took advantage of a new benefit that allowed them to go to any VA or non-VA health facility to get free emergency care if they were experiencing an acute suicidal crisis.”

The VA “said the benefit not only offered potentially life-saving health care, it saved more than $64 million in health care costs.” Additionally, “the department said the new policy allowed those experiencing a suicidal crisis to get necessary care, including emergency room visits, up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care, up to 90 days of outpatient care and transportation costs.”

Related Links:

— “VA says nearly 50K veterans used emergency suicide prevention program in its first year,” Lauren Sforza, The Hill, January 17, 2024

Psychiatric News (1/17) reports, “An individual’s personal income appears to play a role in the amount of time between the onset of psychosis and receipt of services to treat first-episode psychosis…suggests a study.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from patients enrolled in two first-episode treatment programs—the Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis…in New Haven, Conn., and the Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis…in Boston.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services. “Lower personal income was significantly associated with younger age, fewer years of education, Black race, and longer Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). Personal income predicted DUP beyond the effects of age, race, and early psychosis detection.”

Related Links:

— “Lower Income Associated With Greater Treatment Delays for People With First-Episode Psychosis,” Psychiatric News, January 17, 2024

The Washington Post (1/17, Meckler , Natanson ) reports, “In the year following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the number of school resource officers fell as districts responded to calls for limits on police, according to data released…by the U.S. Education Department.” Additionally, “the report found that the overwhelming majority of schools increased social and emotional supports for students affected by the coronavirus, but fewer schools provided treatment and diagnosis of mental health disorders.” The new report examined “the state of safety and security on campuses in 2021-22.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/16, Thompson ) reports there is “no link at all between weed use and a person’s use of illicit opioids, one way or the other, a new review concludes.” The research found that cannabis is not “a gateway drug that can spark a person’s desire to try narcotics.” The study also found marijuana is not “effective in helping wean” people with substance use disorder off opioids. The findings were published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Has No Role in Taking Up or Quitting Opioids: Study,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 16, 2024

mHealth Intelligence (1/16, Vaidya ) reports, “Though telehealth can help expand mental healthcare access, United States counties where mental health resources are low tend to also lack broadband internet access, hampering telehealth use, according to recent research.”

The study found that “US counties with low broadband access had reduced densities of mental health services, with an average of 3.63 mental healthcare physicians, 2.86 non-physician mental health practitioners, 1.33 psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, 0.94 inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities, and 11.28 outpatient facilities available per 100,000 members of the population.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Counties with Urgent Mental Healthcare Needs Face Telehealth Barriers,” Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence, January 16, 2024