Compact Access, CMS Payment Rules, and AI Bans

Each week brings new conversations about mental health, technology, and care. Between Sessions gathers what's worth your attention - so you can stay informed without adding to your workload.

Arkansas went live in the Counseling Compact on July 30, joining Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Ohio as the seven states where it's now operational.

👉 Why it matters: If you're a licensed counselor in Arkansas or one of the other six states, you can now apply for a multistate practice privilege.

→ Read more

CMS finalized new Medicare payment rules for inpatient psychiatric facilities on July 29, raising rates 2.3%, adjusting how outlier payments are capped, and adding a new standardized patient assessment tool for quality reporting.

👉 Why it matters: If you work with or refer to an inpatient psychiatric unit, this sets next year's Medicare rates and adds a new quality-reporting requirement to prepare for.

→ Read more

A new analysis of 470 BIPOC adults treated for eating disorders with the Unified Treatment Model, a cognitive-behavioral approach used in residential care, found lasting reductions in eating disorder, depression, and anxiety symptoms six months later.

👉 Why it matters: Eating disorder research has long overlooked BIPOC clients, so this adds real data clinicians can use when stigma or provider bias may be delaying diagnosis.

→ Read more

A new report from the Transparency Coalition found states have enacted 14 AI-in-healthcare laws so far in 2026, with five now banning AI chatbots from offering therapy - including Maine, where its ban took effect July 29.

👉 Why it matters: If you refer clients to AI wellness apps, or practice in one of these states, what counts as "therapy" now differs by state - worth checking yours.

→ Read more

A NewsUSA piece quotes NYIT cognitive neuroscientist Robert Alexander, Ph.D., on why the disrupted routines of a new school year can trigger anxiety in children, citing a Nemours survey finding 64% of children's worries are school-related.

👉 Why it matters: Alexander flags sleep changes, irritability, appetite shifts, clinginess, and social withdrawal as signs that can show up before a child names the anxiety directly.

→ Read more

A Fifth Third Securities report distributed via Stacker finds behavioral health M&A activity stayed strong through 2025 and is expected to keep rising in 2026, with private equity firms citing large unmet demand, and autism/IDD services expected to draw outsized interest.

👉 Why it matters: If you've considered a sale or partnership, buyers are reportedly focused on predictable reimbursement, durable margins, and scalable operating models, not just size.

→ Read more

In Psychiatric Times, a new piece on eating disorders in male athletes argues that screening tools built for female presentations often miss muscularity-driven behaviors like compulsive exercise and rigid dieting. Five minutes to read.

→ Read more

This week, Berries shared a conversation on how ownership models in group practice are shifting.

Podcast: Dr. Lisa Lovelace joins Kym Tolson to discuss how insurance and venture capital buyouts are reshaping group practice ownership, the differences between a traditional group, a membership model, and a collective, and how multi-state licensing opens new options for clinicians.

→ Listen to our podcast

None of this changes what happens in the room with a client, but it's good to know the ground underneath you is shifting in your favor more than it isn't.

As always, thank you for your truly important work.

If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed, subscribe here. Enjoying the newsletter? Forward it to a friend.

This newsletter is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute clinical, legal, or regulatory guidance. Clinicians should rely on their professional judgment and applicable standards of care when integrating any technology into practice.