Latest / Becker's Healthcare Behavioral Health / Utah Governor Signs Four Mental Health Bills into Law; Pennsylvania Nurse Practitioner, Mental Health Facility Owner to Pay $450K for Prescription Fraud

Transcript

Utah Governor Signs Four Mental Health Bills into Law; Pennsylvania Nurse Practitioner, Mental Health Facility Owner to Pay $450K for Prescription Fraud · Becker's Healthcare Behavioral Health

• 0:00
  This is Randy Homan with Becker's Behavioral Health Podcast.
• 0:04
  Here's your daily industry news brief for March 20 Firstt. First,
• 0:09
  Utah Governor Spencer Cox signs four bills related to mental health into Law
• 0:14
  House Bill 66 amends Utah's Behavioral Health Crisis Response Commission.
• 0:19
  It creates a new crisis center and two mobile crisis outreach teams.
• 0:24
  Senate Bill 2 69 requires Utah's Health and Human Services Department to
• 0:29
  apply for Medicaid waiver for people with chronic health conditions.
• 0:34
  House Bill 4 0 3 requires schools to opt in or out of mental health screenings.
• 0:39
  House Bill 1 59 allows professionals with a healthcare license from a different
• 0:44
  state to offer telemedicine services in Utah.
• 0:48
  House Bill 1 66 is still pending signature.
• 0:52
  It would allow mental health professionals outside of Utah to provide
• 0:55
  teletherapy.
• 0:57
  Utah currently has the highest level of mental illness in the us.
• 1:01
  Its suicide rate has tripled in the past year.
• 1:05
  Second effect, MR.
• 1:07
  Study reports that the addiction treatment market is expected to grow by
• 1:11
  50 million in the next decade.
• 1:14
  This growth is driven by multiple factors.
• 1:16
  This includes a rise in cigarette smoking,
• 1:19
  which boosts the tobacco and nicotine addiction,
• 1:22
  treatment market production of new addiction treatment, drugs,
• 1:25
  therapies and technologies, higher rates of substance abuse,
• 1:29
  growing awareness and acceptance of addiction as a disease that requires
• 1:33
  treatment. Increased government investment in addiction treatment services,
• 1:38
  wider insurance coverage for treatment, reduce stigma of addiction,
• 1:43
  telemedicine becoming more common data analytics to improve treatment
• 1:48
  outcomes, peer support programs becoming more popular.
• 1:52
  Behavioral health services being used more often alongside addiction treatment
• 1:57
  and holistic and tailored treatment approaches becoming more common.
• 2:02
  To report notes that North America is the most attractive area for growth in the
• 2:06
  addiction treatment market. Third,
• 2:10
  a Pennsylvania nurse practitioner and mental health facility owner will pay
• 2:14
  $450,000 for prescription fraud.
• 2:19
  Stephanie King is the owner of Center for Holistic Integrative Mental Health,
• 2:23
  which is based in Athens, Pennsylvania.
• 2:26
  She pleads guilty to prescribing medications without a supervising physician and
• 2:30
  false billing. Ms.
• 2:33
  King also pleads guilty to multiple felony counts. These include Medicaid fraud,
• 2:38
  forgery, tampering with public records, possession of controlled substances,
• 2:42
  theft and insurance fraud. She relinquiss her MP license.
• 2:47
  She's required to pay $450,000 in restitution.
• 2:52
  She allegedly falsely billed $300,000 to private insurers and
• 2:56
  $100,000 to the Commonwealth.
• 2:59
  Pennsylvania. Ms.
• 3:00
  King is also alleged to have prescribed almost 4,000 prescriptions without the
• 3:05
  supervision of a collaborating physician.
• 3:09
  She's also accused of having a sexual relationship with the patient at her
• 3:13
  facility and fraudulently billing private insurers for the time.
• 3:17
  She allegedly began a relationship with the second patient and prescribed
• 3:21
  medication to them after medical care finished.
• 3:24
  Pennsylvania NPS are required to enter into collaborative agreements with
• 3:28
  physicians to perform medical diagnoses and to prescribe controlled substances.
• 3:34
  Thanks for listening.
• 3:35
  Do you want more of the latest info and behavioral health delivered directly to
• 3:39
  your inbox? Subscribe to the Becker's Behavioral Health Report,
• 3:42
  eNewsletter on our website at
• 3:44
  www.beckerbehavioralhealth.com.