Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Majority Of Texas Hospitals Find Software Tool 'Helpful, Very Efficient' For Monitoring Opioid Use In Real Time
Houston Chronicle: Texas Hospitals Adapt Existing Technology To Tackle Opioid Crisis
Adapting existing technology, the Texas Hospital Association is helping health care providers fight the state's opioid epidemic through giving them better information when they need it. More than 85 percent of acute-care hospitals and health care systems in Texas are members in THA. In 2018, some members began using a Smart Ribbon technology to provide physicians with just-in-time information when they are treating patients. (Maness, 1/8)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Aetna Fined $190,000 By Pennsylvania Over Opioid Addiction Treatment Coverage
The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance fined health insurer Aetna Inc. $190,000 for violating rules on coverage of drug and alcohol abuse treatment and coverage of autism spectrum disorder, the agency said Tuesday. The fine was the result of the state regulatory agency’s review of the insurer’s operations in Pennsylvania between January 2015 and March 2016. (Brubaker, 1/8)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Opening The Doorway To Recovery: State Unveils Treatment Plan
When New Hampshire was awarded nearly $46 million in federal funding to combat the opioid crisis, DHHS officials decided to create a community-based system of care based on Vermont’s successful hub-and-spoke model. The hubs are tasked with coordinating care “to ensure people are getting the right services in the right location at the right time,” Meyers said. [Peter] Evers, who is also vice president for behavioral health at Concord Hospital, said when his two organizations heard about plans to create regional hubs that would serve as access points and refer clients to “spokes” in their local areas for treatment services, “We were all in.” (Wickham, 1/8)
