Monday, June 27, 2005

Medicaid Managed Care: Looking Forward, Looking Back National Academy for State Health Policy report (in PDF format) - " Since 1990 managed care has grown to be the dominant delivery system in Medicaid. State Medicaid agencies have both expanded managed care to cover more complex populations and established mechanisms to ensure access and quality. These years have also seen a consolidation in the Medicaid marketplace and the increased use of managed care organizations (MCOs) that serve a primarily public population (Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP). The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has tracked these and other changes through six surveys of state Medicaid managed care programs conducted in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. All six surveys were developed with extensive input from state officials, and all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded to each survey. Each survey gathered information on the scope and operation of two major types of managed care: risk and primary care case management (PCCM). NASHP staff conducted a focus group in March 2005 to review the information collected in all six surveys to identify key findings, trends that may continue, and factors that may impact the future of Medicaid managed care..."  
  

Baylor plans multi-component mental health complex Star-Telegram story - "With a recent boost of a $25 million donation, Baylor College of Medicine is ready to start designing a multi-component mental health complex. The complex in the Texas Medical Center would include an institute to house faculty and hold educational events, a relocated Menninger Clinic, and a research facility. Psychiatric experts say they know of no other institution that combines such components in one complex..."  
  

Codey names mental health service chief (New Jersey) Star-Ledger story - "A 34-year-old president of a Hackensack affordable housing agency for people with mental illness has been selected to become the first special assistant commissioner for the state Division of Mental Health Services. Mental health advocates yesterday praised the selection of Kevin Martone of Lake Hopatcong, describing him as both energetic and capable of carrying out acting Gov. Richard Codey's agenda to improve mental health care."  
  

Firm running mental health system to face more scrutiny (Arizona) Arizona Republic story - "The finances, services and work environment of the firm hired to run Maricopa County's troubled mental health system will be more carefully scrutinized as part of long-running lawsuit. State officials, the contractor ValueOptions and others were in court Friday for a hearing in the 25-year-old Arnold vs. Sarn case. An audit last summer found that conditions were worse than they were four years ago in the county mental health system, prompting a judge to call the parties back into court for corrections and regular progress reports. "  
  

Refugees face new hurdles as mental health money disappears Newsday story - "As the number of refugees rises worldwide, a clear picture of their mental health is just as difficult to find. And the federal government's refugee resettlement office no longer offers money to help. ... About 10 percent of adult refugees in Western countries have post-traumatic stress disorder, and about 5 percent have a major depressive illness, according to a report this spring in the British health journal The Lancet. Only a minority have access to help. And the world saw 1 million new refugees last year, according to a report last week by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Of those, 52,868 were resettled in the U.S. 'The mental health of refugees and other displaced people therefore is a major global health problem, and one that is not going to fade with time,' The Lancet wrote in an editorial."  
  

Patients' Diversity Is Often Discounted Washington Post story - "When UCLA researchers reviewed the best available studies of psychiatric drugs for depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder, they found that the trials had involved 9,327 patients over the years. When the team looked to see how many patients were Native Americans, the answer was: Zero. ... Native Americans are not the only group for whom psychiatrists write prescriptions with fingers crossed, the researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles found as they reviewed the data for a U.S. surgeon general's report: Of 3,980 patients in antidepressant studies, only two were Hispanic. Of 2,865 schizophrenia patients, three were Asian. ... In all, just 8 percent of the patients studied were minorities. It is but one example of a larger pattern: Scientists have broadly played down the role of cultural factors in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome of mental disorders." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]  
  

County advised to outsource mental health services (California) Story at Marinij.com - "The county of Marin needs to consider paying nonprofit agencies to provide a larger share of its mental health services because they can do so at lower costs, according to the Marin County civil grand jury. The grand jury reported that civil service and union rules impede outsourcing despite lower costs. The panel cited a survey indicating county salaries are 52 percent higher than salaries for similar jobs in nonprofit agencies. The grand jury said the county's mental health division had a budget of about $25 million when it did its analysis. Only about $500,000 of that was county money. Most of the funds came from state and federal sources..."  
  

Unique housing manor meets mental health needs (Canada) CBC Health and Science News story - "A housing complex in Edmonton has taken a unique approach to helping people with mental health problems, including those who live on the street. The Grand Manor, built in an old college building that sat derelict for 10 years, features large, newly renovated private apartments painted in soft colours. Services include a cafeteria, nurses who ensure that each of the centre's 56 residents get their proper medications, and a doctor's office to look after residents' needs on-site. ... Mental health advocates have been calling for smaller projects like Grand Manor, which integrate people into the community, allowing them to be healthy and live with dignity. "  
  

Funding key to maintaining state's mental health services (South Carolina) Morning News story - "Pee Dee mental health care providers say that, even though more people with mental health problems are receiving appropriate care than ever before, concerns with sufficient funding mean cautious optimism for the immediate future. Willie Bethune, executive director of Pee Dee Mental Health Center, said that funding is crucial to maintaining and benefiting from the many strides made in providing adequate care during recent decades. This year, he said, mental health officials were able to convince state legislators of that critical need, resulting in a state mental health appropriation of about $183 million, which is roughly $5 million more than the previous fiscal year."