Psychiatric News (5/20) reports, “Managed care organizations must use medical necessity criteria and assessment tools developed by nonprofit mental health and substance use disorder specialty organizations when making coverage-related determinations,” was what the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and “seven other medical organizations told the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a friend-of-the-court brief [PDF] filed yesterday in the case David Wit, et. al., v. United Behavioral Health (UBH).” That “brief is informed by a 2020 APA Position Statement on Level of Care Criteria for Acute Psychiatric Treatment.” In a press release, APA President Vivian Pender, MD, stated, “Standards of care should be based on the best treatment for patients, not the bottom line.” APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, MD, MPA, said, “APA calls upon courts, legislatures, and insurance commissioners to require insurance companies to deliver the care for which patients and employers have paid based upon evidence-based, objective, and patient-centered guidelines, rather than company profits.”

Related Links:

— “Court Ruling in Wit v. UBH Should be Upheld, Urges APA, Psychiatric News, May 20, 2021

According to Psychiatric News (5/19), on May 18, “the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)…announced plans to establish a Behavioral Health Coordinating Council focused on collaboration and strategic planning across the department.” That “council will ‘ensure that millions of Americans receive prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery services for mental illness and substance use disorders,’ an APA news release stated.” For its part, “APA applauded the Biden-Harris administration for creating the council, which will be composed of senior leadership from across HHS.” In the news release, APA President Vivian Pender, MD, said, “In the wake of the pandemic an unprecedented, and as of yet untold, number of Americans are faced with mental health and substance use disorders, particularly in communities impacted by structural racism.” Dr. Pender added, “With the creation of this Council and this investment in mental health, the administration is taking a huge step forward.”

Related Links:

— “HHS to Establish Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, Distribute $3 Billion in MH, SUD Funding, Psychiatric News, May 19, 2021

Healio (5/19) reports, “Delivery of a psychological intervention during a patient’s antidepressant tapering may be an alternative long-term antidepressant use for treating recurrent depression,” researchers concluded in a four-trial meta-analysis encompassing 714 participants. The findings were published online May 19 in JAMA Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Psychological intervention during tapering an alternative to long-term antidepressant use “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 19, 2021

Healio (5/18, Gramigna) reports, “School-aged children with autism spectrum disorder [ASD] and/or” attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “were capable of face covering across activities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” investigators concluded after assessing “face covering behavior among 104 children aged 5 to 13 years (mean age, 8.9 years; 81% male) who took part in a summer treatment program at the University of Washington Autism Center in July 2020.” The findings of the “cohort study” were published online May 17 in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Children with autism, ADHD capable of face covering during COVID-19 pandemic “Joe Gramigna, Healio, May 18, 2021

Modern Healthcare (5/18, Brady, Subscription Publication) reports SAMHSA “will give states and territories $3 billion in block grants to support behavioral health.” Half of the funding “will help states and territories provide comprehensive community-based mental health services and improve existing services for people with severe mental health conditions,” and the other half “will go toward substance use disorder prevention and treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Modern Healthcare (Requires Subscription)