Thursday, January 08, 2004

Medicaid Financing of State and County Psychiatric Hospitals
A SAMHSA report (in Adobe Acrobat format) made available at the Open Minds web site - "This study was undertaken to address the lack of comprehensive information regarding the nature and scope of such Medicaid support. The study identifies potential sources of Medicaid funds paid on behalf of public psychiatric hospitals and provides an estimate of the amount of such funds in 2001. The Medicaid funding experiences of public psychiatric hospitals in five States - Arkansas, California, Iowa, Maryland, and New Jersey - were examined in depth for the study."  
  

Understanding the Health-Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities: Findings from a 2003 Survey
A Kaiser Family Foundation report (in Adobe Acrobat format)made available at the Open Minds web site - " A central goal of this study was to describe the health-care experiences of non-elderly adults across a broad array of disability types and sources of health insurance. The questions in the screener instrument were designed to capture two groups of individuals between ages 18-64: 1) those receiving disability payments through either the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) programs; and 2) those who consider themselves as having a mental or physical disability, but who are not receiving payments from either program. These questions were asked again for validation purposes when the households were recontacted for complete interviews. The survey instrument included items on respondents’ disabling conditions, health-care utilization, health insurance, access to care, cost burdens, employment status and history, and basic demographic characteristics."  
  

Experts Question Baker Act Practices
Tampa Tribune story reprinted at the NAMI web site - " Florida's growing practice of using the Baker Act to lock up emotionally disturbed children is poorly understood and needs review, a University of South Florida study suggests. The study raises particular questions about children who are committed repeatedly, saying research into their lives could answer questions about how to reduce or prevent these crises...."  
  

NAMI Policy Research Institute Study Describes State Medicaid Disease Management Approaches
An "Issue Spotlight" at the NAMI web site - " Disease management (DM) is becoming the new trend in health care service and delivery as public and private sector health care purchasers grapple and respond to rising health care costs and health insurance premiums. It is an intervention intended to reduce health care spending and improve health outcomes through better management of one or more chronic conditions. DM programs focus on patient education, patient self management and physician feedback..." See also NAMI's Policy Research Institute Study that Describes State Medicaid Disease Management Approaches.  
  

Some State Officials Wary of How Medicare Legislation Will Affect Local Prescription Drug Assistance Programs
Kaiser Daily Health Policy overview (reprinted at the Policy Information Exchange web site) of newspaper stories on the impact of Medicare legislation on prescription drug assistance programs and the related issues facing various state legislatures.