Addressing the District’s Opioid Crisis during National Recovery Month
September is National Recovery Month, an annual event that promotes evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. The District of Columbia reported a provisional 590 drug overdose deaths in the twelve months ending March 2023. The city also has one of the highest age-adjusted overdose death rates in the country with 63.6 deaths per 100,000 persons in 2021, nearly double the national rate of 32.4. The District’s surge in opioid overdose deaths—rising for the fourth straight year to 461 opioid-related fatal overdoses in 2022—is largely attributed to the spread of fentanyl and its analogs. Deaths due to opioid use disproportionately affect the District’s Black community, particularly Black males 40 to 69 years of age, with most deaths occurring in Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8.
What can you do as a DC Medicaid provider to support District residents seeking recovery from mental and substance use disorders? Through Integrated Care DC, you can request free individualized practice coaching (and use our on-demand resources) to help you integrate:
- Primary care and behavioral health (Primary Care Behavioral Health Series)
- Behavioral health into managed care (Managed Care Readiness Workshop)
- Behavioral health screening (Learning Library: search “screening”)
- Medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorders (e.g., The Ark of DC)
- Organizational and clinical change management to fit your needs
On September 7, Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will lead SAMHSA, other federal agencies, and the recovery community in a Walk for Recovery event outside Union Station beginning at 2:30 pm. Additionally on September 7-8, you can participate in free training sponsored by the DC Department of Behavioral Health, in collaboration with SAMHSA, on Clinical Guidance for Treating Pregnant and Parenting Women with Opioid Use Disorder and their Infants. The two-day virtual course is based on SAMHSA’s Clinical Guide, which helps professionals and patients with opioid use disorder make clinically appropriate and individualized treatment decisions to promote the best outcomes for patients and their infants. Registered participants will be emailed a link to join the Zoom sessions one to two days prior to the training. Access to a Continuing Education (CE) certificate for Counseling/Social Work will be available through the DBH Training Institute.
How else can you support recovery efforts in the District?
- Participate in LIVE. LONG. DC., a comprehensive multi-sector stakeholder effort to end the District’s opioid epidemic.
- Visit DC Health’s MyRecoveryDC to find treatment and recovery services.
- Create pathways to connect patients to treatment and recovery support, such as DC Hospital Association’s Hospital-Based Peer Support Services Program.
- Spread the word about how to obtain and use naloxone (NARCAN©) to reverse an opioid-related drug overdose. Free naloxone is available at District pharmacies and community sites and by mail—no prescription or ID required.
- Track opioid overdose trends to help address opioid misuse in the District.
- Explore SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center to learn more.
Practice Spotlight:
The Ark of DC Integrates Services for Residents with Opioid Use Disorders
The Ark of DC is a freestanding mental health clinic that provides behavioral health services to approximately 1,200 patients each year. To reduce patient time spent going to multiple providers for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, The Ark of DC decided to enroll in practice coaching with Integrated Care DC to help achieve its goal of certification as an opioid treatment provider (OTP). This step would allow its team to deliver more integrated and holistic person-centered behavioral health services, including counseling and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for people with opioid use disorders (OUD).
Learning Library
Managed Care Workshop:
Planning for Change to Support Managed Care for Behavioral Health
Join us for a captivating one-hour video captured during the Integrated Care DC Managed Care Readiness Workshop. In this session, Art Jones, MD, from Health Management Associates delves into advanced strategies for incorporating behavioral health within a patient-centered care team framework. To enhance your learning experience, download the companion slides for this presentation. Visit our Managed Care Readiness Workshop webpage for more presentations.
Jump Into a Webinar Series
On Thursday, September 21, Medicaid Business Transformation DC will host a Value-Based Payment Virtual Learning Collaborative to support Medicaid-eligible providers seeking to transition to payment models that support value-based care. Sessions led by Health Management Associates’ subject matter experts will focus on legal, contracting, and financial topics to help organizational leaders and billing, coding, and reimbursement staff prepare for and implement this important change. CMEs and CEs will be available for eligible participants.
Throughout September, Medicaid Business Transformation DC will also wrap up the series of free virtual, interactive group learning sessions outlined below:
Behavioral Health
Happening Tomorrow: Wednesday, September 6 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Getting to an Advanced APM as a BH Provider – Behavioral Health VBP Part 3
Speakers: Suzanne Daub, LCSW, and Art Jones, MD
Thursday, September 14 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Managing High-Cost, High-Need Individuals – Behavioral Health VBP Part 4
Speakers: Suzanne Daub, LCSW, and Art Jones, MD
Value-Based Payment Foundations (All Providers)
Happening Soon: Friday, September 8 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Allocation of Value-based Payment Incentive Payments to Optimize Performance – VBP Foundations Part 4
Speakers: Art Jones, MD, and Hunter Schouweiler, MS-HSM
Tuesday, September 12 | 4:00 – 5:00 pm
Clinical and Programmatic Implications of VBP – VBP Foundations Part 5
Speakers: Suzanne Daub, LCSW, and Art Jones, MD
Federally Qualified Health Centers
Wednesday, September 13 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Value-Based Payment: Is it Disrupting Healthcare for the Better? Role of a Clinically Integrated Network – FQHC Part 3
Speakers: Art Jones, MD, and Hunter Schouweiler, MS-HSM
Legal
Tuesday, September 19 | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Key Considerations for Value Based Payment Arrangements – VBP Legal Training Part 4
Speakers: Adam Falcone, JD, MPH, and Michele Melden, JD
If you missed any of our live webinars, you can still catch up by watching recordings on-demand in the Learning Library.
Announcements
Medicaid Renewal Trainings and Outreach
The District hosts monthly trainings and biweekly community meetings on the Medicaid Renewal process to train frontline staff and stakeholders and to connect with beneficiaries affected by the restart of Medicaid eligibility redeterminations. To join an upcoming training or meeting, please visit the Medicaid Renewal website. If you have a community meeting or event that you want to invite District staff to attend to help raise awareness, please email [email protected]. As of April 1, 2023, all Medicaid beneficiaries should renew their health coverage by or before June 30, 2024. Redeterminations of eligibility in the Alliance and Immigrant Children’s Program started in July 2022.
Is Your Practice Ready?
Integrating whole-person care has improved patient outcomes and increased beneficiary and provider satisfaction. Integrated Care DC will help ensure you have the infrastructure, knowledge, and tools to deliver high-value care.
Join Integrated Care DC now:
- Register for live webinars to learn and share best practices and earn continuing education credits.
- Request practice coaching for tailored, site-specific support to achieve your integrated care goals.
- Subscribe to our newsletter for events, resources, and program updates.
- Visit our Learning Library to access on-demand videos, podcasts, tools, success stories, and more.
Dive into a Topic
Behavioral Health | Econsult/Telehealth | Screening and/or Assessment | HIE | Care Team Optimization | MAT | COVID-19 | Patient Engagement | Stigma Abatement | Substance/OUD
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