News & Opinions | Behavioral Health Today

Report of Psychotropic Prescription Patterns: Gender Gap Widens, Use of Drugs on the Increase Across the Board

Medco Report: More than One-in-Four Women take Medication to Treat a Mental Health Condition

Mar 19, 2012

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Women far outpace their male counterparts when it comes to the consumption of mental health medications, with 25 percent using at least one psychotropic drug as compared to 15 percent of men. [...]

The Commonwealth Fund’s Health System Data Center Enables Location-Specific Healthcare Measures with Interactive Map

For anyone interested in how one region/locale compares to another in terms of quality of healthcare and health outcomes, the Commonwealth Fund has unleashed an incredibly powerful tool. They should be commended. The tool is exquisite and everybody has something to gain from exploring it.

The first-ever Scorecard on Local Health System Performance [...]

Affordable Care Act Demonstration to Expand Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care

New demonstration program to help States to improve the quality of care for patients with psychiatric emergency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: CMS Media Relations Group

March 13, 2012 (202) 690-6145

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that 11 States and the District of Columbia will participate in [...]

Reflections on Health IT Strategic Planning and Budgeting

I recieved the following email this morning:

“My business partner and I are presenting at the 2012 PCPA Technology Conference in a couple of weeks. Our topic surrounds funding, or finding funding, for EHR/HIT acquisition and implementation. Most of the content is focused on identifying new and unique sources and approaches for financing these purchases; [...]

Preserving the Safety Net: Behavioral Health Field Can Learn From Commonwealth Fund Report and Recommendations

The Commonwealth Fund released a report of recommendations aimed at preserving the fragile safety net. Specifically, the report addresses safety net hospitals that treat a disproportionate share of the indigent and uninsured populations. As the uninsured become insured (primarily via Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchanges) these facilities – like much of the mental health [...]

Aetna Foundation Commits $750,000 For Studies To Improve Coordination Of Health Care

Research Aimed at Improving Patient Health, Lowering Costs and Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates

HARTFORD, Conn., March 07, 2012 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) and the Aetna Foundation have awarded grants totaling $750,000 for three separate studies examining the impact on patient health of better communication among health care providers and stronger coordination of health [...]

1/10 Americans Feel Financial Distress and Burden of Unpaid Medical Expenses…Much Bigger Problem for Low-Income Households – CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/financial_burden_of_medical_care_032012.pdf

One out of 10 families had medical bills that they could not pay during the first half of 2011, according to newly released figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PDF).

The agency’s survey, which had more than 52,000 respondents, included questions about medical bills and household budgets. Other Findings include:

[...]

Health Care Reform Law Ends Lifetime Limits for 105 Million Americans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 5, 2012 Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343 Health reform law ends lifetime limits for 105 million Americans

State-by-state data available

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a new report today on how the health reform law has eliminated lifetime limits on coverage for more than 105 [...]

Inland Empire HIE Selects Orion Health For Community-Wide Health Information Exchange

In yet another example of how health information is central to emerging business models and the realities of eHealth, this self-funded HIE will provide timely and secure access to patient data that will enable clinicians in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to improve care for more than 4.1 million residents. Behavioral healthcare providers of [...]

Universal American Acquires APS Healthcare

The following press release is yet another example in the flurry of merger and acquistion taking place in all segments of the health insurance and health care markets. APS (VRI at one time in its past) is one of a handful of managed behavioral healthcare organizations that have domintaed the market for nearly [...]

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