As part of the Department-wide effort to combat the ongoing opioid crisis...

As part of the Department-wide effort to combat the ongoing opioid crisis, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is providing additional flexibilities to help states improve access to and quality of substance use disorder treatment through Medicaid 1115 demonstrations.  This revised policy will take the place of the initiative announced in the State Medicaid Directors’ letter issued on July 27, 2015. With this new policy, CMS’s main goal is to support state initiatives to improve access to treatment by requiring less upfront administrative process barriers for approvals of state initiatives. This is a significant step to help states address the immediate treatment needs of individuals and families as well as providers that are on ground zero of the crisis. Through this new policy, we also hope to work with states to better understand the opioid crisis and the most effective ways to respond. This focus on outcomes will help us guide state efforts to tackle this epidemic.  The letter is available online on Medicaid.gov at http://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/federal-policy-guidance.html For more information on Substance Use Disorders, visit https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/bhs/index.html