Monday, March 28, 2005

Iowa Makes Deal to Retain Medicaid Money  AP story at Yahoo - "Iowa has struck a deal with federal officials that allows the state to retain $66 million in Medicaid funding it would have lost next summer because of a government crackdown on an accounting gimmick. Iowa is the first state to reach such an agreement with Washington. For years, Iowa and other states used an accounting practice — awarding state money to hospitals and nursing homes, and then moving it back again — to boost federal Medicaid matching funds. However, Medicaid officials have told states that such transfers will not be allowed past July 1."  
  

Feds OK TennCare enrollee cuts (Tennessee) Story in The Tennessean - "The federal government yesterday gave its approval to Gov. Phil Bredesen's plan to eliminate health-care coverage for 323,000 Tennesseans on TennCare. Late yesterday, the state received word from the Department of Health and Human Services that it can move forward with the first phase of its overhaul of the health insurance program that provides coverage to 1.3 million poor, elderly and people with disabilities. While approval from the federal agency is a necessary first step in making TennCare cuts, the state is still under a federal judge's order that prohibits cuts before a hearing, scheduled to begin Monday, to review the state's decision."  
  

U.S. Agency Acts to Foster Personalized Drugs International Herald Tribune story, reprinted at MentalHelpNet - "The U.S. regulator of pharmaceuticals has taken a significant step toward the development of so-called personalized medicine, in which drugs would be tailored to individuals based on their genetic profiles. The regulator issued guidelines on Tuesday for pharmaceutical companies intended to encourage them to gather and submit information about how genetic variations affect the way people respond to their drugs. Drug companies have been somewhat reluctant to do this because of fears that the government might use the information to limit the market for their drugs, said officials with the regulator, the Food and Drug Administration. Drug makers have also worried that the agency might block approval if, say, a drug were shown in a laboratory test to activate a gene that might be involved in cancer..."  
  

Update on the Treatment of Depression A Medscape CME - "During the International Congress of Biological Psychiatry, the treatment of depression was of particular focus. Despite the advent of newer antidepressant medications, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), over the past 15 years, depression continues to be a costly burden to both the individual patient as well as to society as a whole. The following presentations addressed the newest thoughts about the treatment of depression." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Mental Illness Often Ends Soldiers' Careers  Psychiatry News story - "Soldiers with a serious mental illness are more likely to have difficulty conforming their behavior to military expectations and thus more apt to be discharged involuntarily than their peers with nonpsychiatric disorders. Active-duty soldiers in the Army who are hospitalized because of a psychiatric disorder are far more likely to leave the military involuntarily within six months of that hospital stay than are soldiers with other medical conditions. These involuntary separations usually stemmed from the soldiers' inability to perform their work duties and were attributed to "behaviors not considered conducive to further service," according to a study reported in the March American Journal of Psychiatry."  
  

Codey expects new era in mental health care (New Jersey) Star-Ledger story - "Acting Gov. Richard Codey said yesterday a task force report he will receive next week promises to mark a 'fundamental turning point' in the state's mental health system. The task force, which Codey established immediately after becoming governor, held its last meeting yesterday at Seton Hall University, where Codey hosted a 'Mental Health Summit.' At the event, people who suffer from mental illness shared their personal stories and views on how the state can improve the system."