Behavioral Health Billing & UR Update: Kaiser Hawaiʻi Tightens Continued-Stay Reviews
September 17, 2026 Behavioral health providers in Hawaiʻi have several important utilization review and revenue-cycle developments to watch this month. The biggest local development comes from Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi, where routine outpatient behavioral health authorization practices are becoming more focused on measurable treatment outcomes. Headline: Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi Moves Toward Feedback-Informed Care During a September […]
Expanding the SUD Workforce: A New National Training Resource for Substance Use Treatment Providers
A new federally supported training initiative may soon provide substance use disorder treatment programs with another valuable resource for strengthening clinical competency, particularly for organizations providing ASAM 3.5 residential treatment and ASAM 3.7 withdrawal management services. On September 1, 2026, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the American Society of Addiction Medicine […]
Hawaiʻi Act 93; Credentailing Providers in Practice and TRICARE West Policy Updates: What Behavioral Health Providers Need to Know About Provisional Licensure and Tricare West Policies in 2026
How Hawaiʻi’s new associate-level licensure pathways are working with payers, why TRICARE is taking a different position, and what TriWest’s corrected IOP guidance means for behavioral health facilities. Behavioral health providers in Hawaiʻi are navigating several important changes at once. Hawaiʻi’s Act 93 has created new opportunities for associate-level and provisionally licensed clinicians to enter […]
Hawaiʻi Healthcare Is Changing: HMSA, HPH & ASAM 4th Edition
Hawaiʻi Healthcare Is Changing: What the HMSA–HPH Partnership Mean for Behavioral Health Providers and Members of Hawai’is largest Health Plan Hawaiʻi’s healthcare landscape is entering a period of significant change. Two developments deserve particular attention from behavioral health organizations across the state: For Community Mental Health Centers, substance use disorder treatment programs, residential facilities, IOP […]
Utilization Review: What Is It and Why Is It So Important?
The invisible science behind medical necessity, patient advocacy, and protecting behavioral health organizations from revenue loss. Every behavioral health organization depends on reimbursement to continue serving patients. Yet one of the most misunderstood functions in healthcare is also one of the most influential over whether an organization is paid for the care it provides: Utilization […]
The Digital Medicine Revolution – Seeing Your Patients Through a Screen… and the Price of Poor Clinical Charting
How the 98000 Digital Medicine CPT Code Family, Telehealth Psychiatry, and Documentation Standards Are Reshaping Behavioral Healthcare The future of behavioral healthcare is digital. The future of reimbursement depends on documentation. Telehealth is no longer a temporary pandemic solution. It has become a permanent part of behavioral healthcare delivery. 2025 brought in new options for […]
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Complete Guide to Treatment, Insurance Coverage, Prior Authorization, and Patient Access
A New Hope for Patients Living with Depression For millions of Americans, depression is far more than feeling sad. It can make everyday tasks feel impossible, strain relationships, interfere with work, and diminish quality of life. While antidepressant medications and psychotherapy help many individuals, approximately one-third of patients never achieve full remission despite multiple medication […]
Understanding CIS+ Psychiatric Respite: Hawaii Medicaid’s New Opportunity to Improve Behavioral Health Outcomes
Beginning January 1, 2026, Hawaii’s Med-QUEST Division expanded the Community Integration Services (CIS) program into Community Integration Services Plus (CIS+), introducing an important new benefit known as Medical Respite. One of the most significant additions for behavioral health providers is Psychiatric Respite, a short-term Medicaid benefit designed to help eligible members safely recover from acute […]