Wednesday, June 30, 2004

HHS Conference Seeks to Jump-Start IT Adoption in Healthcare
Medscape Medical News story - "To jump-start the adoption of electronic health records and other major elements of health information technology (IT) among physicians and hospitals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will host a conference on July 21 in Washington, D.C., to discuss how the private and public sectors can address long-standing cost and standardization barriers." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Advocate and ally (Virginia)
Daily Press editorial on Harriet Storm, who has served for 25 years on the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board - "...Since 1979, the board, which handles mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services for the two cities, provided the channel through which Storm put her energy, enthusiasm, commitment and compassion to work for people who need help."  
  

Mental health board agrees to limit use of Medicaid (Washington)
Bellingham Herald story - " Hundreds of Whatcom County residents are likely to lose access to mental-health services over the next few months now that a five-county mental-health board has agreed to stop using federal Medicaid funds for non-Medicaid patients. The change, forced by a change in federal policy, will move some people out of residential treatment centers and also require non-Medicaid patients to pay a fee to use the administration's crisis phone line. Board members of the North Sound Mental Health Administration said Tuesday they regretted having to make moves that will hurt people, but they risked losing Medicaid funds, which help pay medical costs for low-income people, if they failed to comply with the new federal policies."