Friday, May 02, 2003
The Impact of Regulatory Compliance on Quality of Care A case study in
Getting Paid in Behavioral Healthcare at
Medscape that "reflects the complexity of regaining compliance once an organization is sanctioned. It is generally less costly to maintain standards than to remediate." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Rural Agencies Struggle to Find New Approaches to Attract Staff Mental Health Weekly story at
Medscape on the "serious problems for rural Americans with mental health needs. They enter care later in their illness and with more disabling symptoms than their urban peers. And they require more intensive and expensive treatment. In turn, this means serious challenges for the professionals trying to serve rural Americans." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Georgia Seeks Statewide Implementation of Dual-Diagnosis Strategy Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly at
Medscape - "Georgia substance abuse and mental health officials had become accustomed to seeing providers take three days out of their schedule to attend a seminar on best practices, only to return to their program sites and resume with business as usual. Their attempt to make provider training more relevant and applicable to everyday clinical practice is leading to significant progress in meeting the needs of patients with co-occurring addiction and mental illness." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Study Says Societal Factors Key to Untreated MDD in U.S. Southern Women NewsRx story reprinted at
PsycPORT based on research published in the
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing in which the authors cited a " 'paucity of treatment available,' lack of insurance and therefore ability to pay, and distance from treatment facilities as reasons why women with major depressive disorder often go untreated."
Health Care Limps Up Political Ladder New York Times column by Robin Toner - "The health care crisis is returning to American politics — gradually, but inexorably, with a force that will most likely grow as rising costs and deepening cuts squeeze more and more voters." [Viewing
Times resources requires registration, which is free].
Mental Health Board hears concerns, ponders funding issues (Missouri) Perry County Republic Monitor story on Perry County Mental Health Board, which decided in April to provide funds from its county tax revenue for underage substance abuse prevention programs in the community, but questions remain about how much money it will provide and how that money will be distributed.
New Web-Based Tool Reveals Alcohol's Toll on Business PR Newswire press release at
Boston.com - "A George Washington University Medical Center initiative to increase access to treatment for individuals with alcohol problems today released the Alcohol Cost Calculator. The new easy-to- use, Web-based tool was developed to help U.S. businesses calculate company losses that result directly from alcohol problems among their employees. This initiative, developed by Ensuring Solutions to Alcohol Problems supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, is part of a comprehensive effort to demonstrate to businesses how they can improve access to treatment, curb health care costs, and ultimately increase productivity." See also the
Alcohol Cost Calculator, which is free of charge, and the
Ensuring Solutions web site.
$22 Million Available for Cooperative Agreements with States to Enhance Substance Abuse Treatment SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications from state governors for cooperative agreements to expand and enhance state substance abuse treatment service systems. The cooperative agreements are designed to expand the continuum of care available in states to include screening, brief interventions, referrals and brief treatment for persons at risk of dependence on alcohol or drugs."
Adequate mental-health facilities are integral to community care (Florida)Guest column in the
Herald Tribune by Christopher Cosden, an assistant public defender in Sarasota - "The April 20 editorial urging reform of the Baker Act by enactment of HB 1197 (and SB 2748), which are pending before the Legislature, was well intentioned, but misses the mark. The current problems in mental-health treatment result much more from lack of sufficient treatment facilities, both locally and statewide, than from lack of legal remedies."
