NNews April 2024

57 April 2024 DMHAS Offers IT and COVID-related Reimbursement for Providers under Different Programs Of themany ways that NJAMHAA’s Information Technology (IT) Project teamsupports providers, one is sharing details about funding opportunities, including reimbursement for COVID-related expenses available from the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS). Below are details about the DMHAS Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant COVID-19 Supplemental Reimbursement (DSCOVRS) programand the Substance Use Disorder Promoting Interoperability Program (SUDPIP) to help ensure that members take advantage of these opportunities. “It is important for providers to be aware that IT reimbursement from the DSCOVRS program is only for SUD service providers and that it does not cover electronic health records (EHR). That is covered in the SUDPIP,” stated Ron Gordon, Director of the IT Project. DSCOVRSProgram InDecember 2023, DMHAS announced an increase to $50,000 per provider organization for reimbursement for telehealth and other IT-related expenses incurred tomeet the increasing need for services resulting from the pandemic. However, themaximum reimbursement is still $20,000 for each provider organization for personal protective equipment and COVID testing kits, including costs required to attain the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waiver and other related expenses. DMHAS specified that “all expenses have to be incurred by August 31, 2025 and providers will have until September 15, 2025 to submit their requests for reimbursement.” Questionsmay be sent to DMHAS-SABG.CovidReimburse@ dhs.nj.gov . All requests for reimbursement must be submitted through the DMHAS Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) via the followingweb address: https://securexfer.dhs.state.nj.us/ login SUDPIP The goal of the SUDPIP is to “enhance coordination among substance use disorder providers and the rest of the health care systemby providing them increased access to electronic health records (EHR) and promoting interoperability among them, which are critical elements inNew Jersey’s strategy to address the opioid crisis,” as stated on the DMHAS website. “In addition, this initiative has the potential to improve the coordination between SUD providers and physical health providers. For individuals with SUD—many of whomalso have physical health co-occurring illnesses, this type of coordination is essential to ensure a holistic approach to treating the complex health and social needs of this population.” “NJAMHAA is excited to be a part of this incentive program to advance providers to the next level of care coordination and to be a part of promoting interoperability. Many more providers need tomake themost of this opportunity, and the IT Project is available to helpmake this happen,” said June Noto, NJAMHAA’s Vice President of IT, Human Resources and Administrative Services. “There aremany reasons to participate, such as increasing your bandwidth and capacity for treatment and accelerating your response efforts to crisis. Interoperability also connects ‘siloed’ systems of care to enhance care coordination and quality,” Noto stated. For additional information about the DSCOVRS program and SUD PIP, as well as how the IT Project can assist with these and other technology-relatedmatters, please contact June Noto at jnoto@njamhaa.org or Ron Gordon at rgordon@njamhaa.org.