Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Electronic Disability Claims Processing: Social Security Administration’s Accelerated Strategy Faces Significant Risks A GAO publication (in
Adobe Acrobat format) of the statement of Linda D. Koontz, Director Information Management Issues, available via the
Open Minds web site, which notes, "SSA’s goal to establish a more efficient, paperless disability claims processing system is important, and one that could benefit millions. To achieve this goal, SSA’s immediate focus is on developing an electronic folder to store claimant information and large volumes of medical images, files, and other documents that are currently maintained in paper folders, and then make this information accessible to all entities involved in disability determinations. SSA’s accelerated strategy calls for development of this capability by January 2004 rather than in 2005, as originally planned. "
Health foundation closing in October (Maryland) Feature article in the
Baltimore Sun - "The Maryland Health Care Foundation was formed by the state legislature six years ago to funnel to public good some of the windfall from the for-profit conversions of hospitals and health insurers, notably the giant CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. ... Now that the CareFirst deal has been derailed by controversy over executive bonuses, and the sale of hospitals has cooled, the foundation is out of money. Although it launched some valuable programs with $8 million since 1997, lacking new sources of funding on the horizon, the foundation plans to close Oct. 1. "
Self-Help Groups OK Despite Web Inroads USA Today story reprinted at
PsycPORT - "The rapid growth of online support groups apparently hasn't wiped out Americans' appetite for the face-to-face kind: Nearly 1 out of 5 attend groups at some point in their lives, a psychologist reported over the weekend. National surveys show about 26 million have participated in self-help groups and 11 million attend now, says Stanford University psychologist Keith Humphreys. " The story notes Humphreys' comments that there's "solid evidence" that face-to-face peer support groups really help people with mental disorders and addictions. that that "recovering alcoholics and drug addicts who go to peer support groups run up lower medical bills than those who try to go it alone," and that "patients with mental illness are less likely to be hospitalized again if they participate in self-help groups."
Shortage of Adult Day Services in Most U.S. Counties A page at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation web site on the results of an RWJF-funded National Study of Adult Day Services survey. This page indexes a variety of related resources, including the report's
conclusions, an
executive summary, and an
Adult Day Services Census Interactive Map that allows you to "find out how adult day services stack up in your state or county." The executive summary notes that the survey included 3,407 adult day centers in the United States, 53 percent of which are "well established, having been open for 11-20 or more years," and that 24 percent of those who receive these centers' services are diagnosed with mental retardation/developmental disabilities and 14 percent have a chronic mental illness.
Some counties are feeling pinch, others not (Pennsylvania) Story in the
Lancaster Eagle-Gazette - "Fairfield County isn't the only one up to its neck in Medicaid expenditures. The Washington County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Board has experienced the same fate, but on a slightly greater scale..."
Mental health center closes (Georgia) Gainesville Times story - "Lakewinds, a Gainesville center that offered short-term residential treatment to mental health patients in crisis, has closed, in part because of state budget cuts. ... The agency serves mentally ill and developmentally disabled patients in 13 Northeast Georgia counties. About half of its revenue comes from client fees and insurance reimbursement, the rest from government funding. In fiscal year 2004, its allocation from the state was about $13 million, down from $16 million in fiscal 2001."
