Compliance

What the New CARES Act Changes Mean for Addiction Treatment Providers

On March 27th 2020, congress passed the CARES Act. This legislation contained unexpected surprises for the addiction treatment community.

5 Ways Your Addiction Treatment Center Needs to Respond to COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the United States—and the rest of the world—it’s time to evaluate your addiction treatment center’s emergency response to the public health crisis.

How to Get an Addiction Treatment Center Licensed in Your State—PART 2

In Part 1 of this series, we covered how to get an addiction treatment center licensed in California, Arizona, Kentucky, Maine, North Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Be sure to check out that post if you are looking for how to get your center’s launch off to the right start in those states.

How to Get an Addiction Treatment or Behavioral Health Center Licensed in Your State—Part 1

With the opioid crisis still grinding along, now is a great time to open an addiction treatment center. But navigating the licensing requirements of each state is tricky—they are all different and each plays by its own rules. Because there are no federal guidelines for addiction treatment center licensure, every state’s regulatory body is unique. 

4 Ways Smart Software Protects Your Behavioral Health Organization from HIPAA Violations

The US government recently reported that millions of health records are breached every year. For behavioral health organizations, each breach translates into massive fines for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws.


HIPAA fines, which range from $100 to $50,000 per record, can easily bankrupt an organization.

4 Tips for Developing Outcome Tracking for Your Addiction and Mental Health Treatment Organization

You already know your treatment center is providing excellent care, but do you have the numbers to back it up?

Anecdotal evidence is no longer enough to convince prospective clients and their families to trust your center with a life-and-death behavioral health crisis.

Your Top 3 Questions About HIPAA Violations and Cloud-Based Behavioral Health Management Systems

Cloud computing has been around for nearly 20 years or longer, depending on your definition.

But to many, “saving it to the cloud” is still a novel concept.

The SUPPORT Act and Healthcare Providers—A First Look

The newly enacted SUPPORT Act’s wide-ranging provisions take aim at the entire healthcare continuum, including providers, who will be on the front lines of change as the new law takes effect. The law includes amendments to Medicare and Medicaid, and changes affecting program integrity and transparency reporting of provider payments by drug and device manufacturers and the disposal of unused medication.

The Importance of Accreditation

Accreditation is an important piece of the behavioral health industry puzzle.  Treatment Centers should seek accreditation as soon as they can for many reasons.  While most insurance payers don’t require Treatment Centers to be accredited, some payers have already made the shift to requiring accreditation before they will pay for the service rendered.  Treatment Centers can choose accreditation at the state level through CARF. They can also opt to become accredited through JCAHO, which is accreditation at the national level.

Denials:  The bane of every treatment center’s existence

Let’s face it, denials may be the absolute worst thing to find in the mail, especially if you’ve just opened.  It is discouraging and disheartening to find out you won’t be paid for someone’s treatment; even if it is only one date of service.

Verification of Benefits 101: who, what, where, when and why?

A verification of benefits is the first vital piece of admitting a patient to your facility.  If they don’t have benefits for the treatment they receive, there will be no reimbursement. There are a number of things that can be found out on a verification call; information about patient responsibility, what services are covered, etc.