CMS on June 11 released a guidance to help states leverage Medicaid and ensure they have the tools for fighting the opioid crisis. The guidance comes as the House is set to vote on dozens of opioid bills starting this week.
The guidance includes information on resources to fight the opioid crisis and describes approaches states can use to combat opioid use.
CMS offers information on covering care services for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, noting that Medicaid can help these infants access treatment. States may also cover the parents of these infants — if they're eligible for Medicaid — while their child is receiving treatment.
The guidance also discusses ways to increase federal funding for telemedicine and programs that monitor prescriptions.
"State-level innovation, including in the use of prescription drug monitoring programs and electronic health records, has been and will be a key piece of ending this crisis," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a news release.