Thursday, April 14, 2005

APA Applauds New California Regulations for Inpatient Psychological Services  APA press release - "California patients suffering from serious mental illness will now have the benefit of having their inpatient care managed by psychologists with full hospital privileges. New state regulations issued by the state’s Department of Health Services (DHS), recognizes California psychologists’ expertise in diagnosing and treating mental disorders which allows them to serve their patients in acute care hospitals as attending practitioners. The California agency’s new rules allow both psychologists and psychiatrists to direct patient care as a member of the hospital medical staff, including decisions on when to admit, transfer, and discharge patients. The new regulations are a result of longstanding efforts by organized psychology to enforce laws already on the books..."  
  

Bill would expand veterans health services Talahassie Democrat story - "Citing the large numbers of soldiers returning from Iraq with psychiatric disorders, lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday in the House of Representatives that would expand veterans' health services and study why veterans' mental-disability payments vary widely across the country. The bill follows a March report in Knight Ridder Newspapers that showed that the assessment - known as a 'rating' - that veterans receive for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental-health ailments is far higher in some regional offices than in others."