COMMITTEE NAME: Addictions Practice Group

Date:
November 12, 2015 / Time:
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. / Presiding:
Alan Oberman / Recorded By:
Mary Abrams
Present:Milissa Aronson, Chris Barton (via conference call), Mary-Catherine Bohan (via conference call), Ileen Bradley, Bob Budsock, Carolann Cavaiola, Katherine Coleman (via conference call), Tony Comerford (via conference call), Laurie DeSimone (via conference call), Benjamin Gonzales (via conference call), Mike Hanlon (via conference call), Linda Leyhane, Kendria McWilliams, Chris Mussell, Alan Oberman, Barbara Schlichting, Taylor Snyder, Lori Sonenblum (via conference call), NinetteTuerk (via conference call), Mary Gay Abbott-Young
Staff and Consultant:Mary Abrams, Mary Lou Powner, Debra Wentz
AGENDA ITEMS / DISCUSSION / ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES / TIME-FRAME / WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Approval of the Minutes from the September 10, 2015 Meeting / N/A / The minutes were m/s/p. / N/A / N/A
Getting the Focus Back on Addiction / The focus was narrowed down to a few topics with reimbursement being the top priority.
Reimbursement: Topics include contracts, rates, Medicaid, and rules and regulations that cover these topics. Specific issues include Medicaid rates, how billing should be done and the need to bill for multiple services for one client on the same day.
Staff Credentialing: It was noted that state government has reduced what CADCs and LCADCs can do, for example, in treating co-occurring disorders. It was announced that the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) will soon convene a workgroup to develop integrated licensing standards for providers of outpatient substance use treatment and mental healthcare services; Valerie Mielke, Assistant Commissioner, DMHAS, has stated that she will invite members of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) to participate.
Other issues to address are case management and topics to be taught in college (Continued) / Advocacy strategies to be developed
Advocacy strategies to be developed
Advocacy strategies to be developed
[NJAMHAA wrote to DMHAS Assistant Commissioner Mielke, requesting that NJAMHAA members be invited to participate on the workgroup, to help further ensure that NJAMHAA has a strong presence.] / Ongoing / Debra Wentz, Mary Abrams, Shauna Moses, Members
AGENDA ITEMS / DISCUSSION / ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES / TIME-FRAME / WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Getting the Focus Back on Addiction (continued) / (for example, there should be more than one class for LSWs).
Health Care: The focus will be on integrated care, possibly in health homes.
Housing: The focus is to advocate for increased resources for supportive and recovery housing. It was noted that New Jersey currently has nearly 6,000 supportive housing slots, of which only 75 or fewer are for substance use clients.It was noted that a recovery housing movement is under way in New Jersey, but it is under the radar. Some clients are linked to for-profit partial care programs in lieu of residential services; others are admitted into post-residential services where staff is on site, but not overnight.
Oxford homes have an exemption: The Division of Consumer Affairs specifies that these facilities cannot have staff and must be peer led.
Hansen House owns six recovery housing facilities and Eva’s Village is one. / Advocacy strategies to be developed
Advocacy strategies to be developed
It was recommended that a meeting be held with Mike Santilla from Eva’s Village; Hansen House [Audrey Carter]; and state legislators, along with a representative from the National Association of Recovery Residences on the phone.
It was recommended that NJAMHAA educate DMHAS and DHS licensing staff on the different models of recovery housing to inform development of regulations. / Ongoing
Ongoing
Alan Oberman will update the group on progress related to Recovery Housing at the December 10, 2015 meeting.
Not specified / Debra Wentz, Mary Abrams, Shauna Moses, Members
Debra Wentz, Mary Abrams, Shauna Moses, Members
Alan Oberman
NJAMHAA staff and members
New Mandates and Cost of Compliance – Documentation/Reporting Requirements/Multiple Site Inspections/Critical Incident Reporting / The main issue is that DMHAS has made the Unusual Incident Reporting form more complicated and the level of documentation required is affecting quality of care. Ileen Bradley stated that Roger Borichewski, Assistant Director, Olmstead, Compliance, Prevention, Planning & Evaluation, DMHAS, agreed to meet with a small group of providers to develop an acceptable reporting form. / Several members expressed interest in participating in or sending staff members to the meeting with DMHAS Assistant Director Borichewski. Ileen will share these suggestions with him.
NJAMHAA will address this and other cost-of-compliance issues with the Department of Human Services (DHS) leadership staff. / Within the next few weeks
December 7, 2015 / Ileen Bradley, Roger Borichewski
Ron Gordon, Members
AGENDA ITEMS / DISCUSSION / ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES / TIME-FRAME / WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Sign-Offs in the New Jersey Substance Abuse Monitoring System (NJ SAMS) / Providers believe only supervisors have the ability to sign off on diagnoses in NJ SAMS. / Barbara Schlichting will include this topic on the next PAC meeting agenda. [This was discussed at the meeting. Vicki Fresolone, Chief, Care Management, DMHAS, explained that clinicians have always been required to diagnose within their scope of work and supervisors’ signoffs were required for diagnoses made by certain credentialed staff. For example, LCADCs cannot diagnose in certain chapters of DSM-5. The only thing new in the DSM-5 module of NJ SAMS is the drop-down menu for clinicians and supervisors to check off their credentials. The module is designed to stay open so supervisors can sign off on the diagnoses at a later time and make changes if needed.] / November 20, 2015 / Barbara Schlichting
1115 Waiver / It was announced that DMHAS and the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (Medicaid) are working on an amended 1115 waiver to be submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2017.
The group discussed the July 27, 2015 letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, encouraging states to submit a waiver that ensures an organized delivery system that includes a full continuum of care for substance use disorders. (continued) / N/A
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AGENDA ITEMS / DISCUSSION / ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES / TIME-FRAME / WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
1115 Waiver(continued) / It was noted that the Addiction Practice Group should have an opportunity to provide input on this 1115 Waiver. / NJAMHAA will request opportunities to provide input at its upcoming DHS meeting. / December 7, 2015 / Debra Wentz, Board members
Certified Clinical Super-visor Issue / It was noted that substance use provider supervisors are required to pay for certification every two years while other types of provider supervisors only need to pay one time for certification. / It was agreed that this issue will be addressed as part of the Creden-tialing topic of Getting the Focus Back on Addiction. An extra hour will be scheduled after the next Practice Group meeting to develop a strategy and action steps. / December 10, 2015 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., follow-ing the regular Addictions Practice Group meeting / Interested Addictions Practice Group members
Request for Feedback on Contracts with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) / Some members shared that the transition of substance use services from DMHAS to DCF has not been seamless, and that contracts are not reviewed/signed in a timely manner, which is resulting in delayed payments. / It was agreed that a recommendation will be made to the Board for NJAMHAA to write to DCF Commissioner Allison Blake about this issue. / November 18, 2015 [The Board approved the recommenda-tion and a letter was sent to DCF Com-missioner Blake.] / Debra Wentz, Mary Abrams, Shauna Moses
Interim Managing Entity (IME) and Providers’ Experiences / Barbara reported that 30,000 clients will be transferred to the IME; current outpatient clients will be authorized for nine months of service;administrative authori-zations for new clients will begin in January 2016; and authorizations with clinical reviews will begin in the spring.
There are two pending IME expansions, one with the Department of Corrections and one with the FBI.
It was noted that the IME has been effective for residential services. However, outpatient providers are receiving very few referrals. Many clients are referred to detox services and hospitals.
A positive aspect of the IME is the recent hiring of a network coordinator, Laila Hull. / N/A
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It was recommended that Ms. Hall be invited to the next Practice Group meeting. / N/A
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Dec. 10, 2015 [Ms. Hall was invited and she accepted.] / N/A
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Debra Wentz, Barbara Schlichting, Shauna Moses
AGENDA ITEMS / DISCUSSION / ACTIONS AND OUTCOMES / TIME-FRAME / WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
Recovery of Medicaid Funds / Debra Wentz noted that DMHAS will be meeting with a group of providers the following week.
NJAMHAA informed the Governor’s staff of this issue and its impact on providers and the individuals they serve. / NJAMHAA will continue to advocate and keep members informed of any updates. / Ongoing / Debra Wentz, Mary Abrams, Shauna Moses
Practice Group Report for the Board / The following report will be presented at the next Board meeting: (1) Medicaid waiver – NJAMHAA needs to have input; (2) Focus on Addiction topics; (3) Need to have input on licensing standards; (4) Recommendation for letter to DCF Commissioner Blake; (5) IME and other agenda items for the December 5, 2015 DHS meeting / November 18, 2015 / Bob Budsock, Carolann Cavaiola
Old and New Business / Linda Leyhane raised the issue of barriers to treatment for individuals receiving General Assistance. Ileen Bradley stated that Drug Court providers have not been receiving payments.
Mary Gay Abbott-Young asked for information about providers receiving licenses in New Jersey. / Linda and Ileen plan to meet with DMHAS on this issue in January.
It was requested that this information be shared with all Addictions Practice Group members. / N/A
[Following the meeting, Mary confirmed that Shauna Moses obtained this information from the DHS Office of Licensing. Shauna sent it to the group.] / N/A
[Shauna Moses]

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