Consumers & Families | Behavioral Health Today

RWJF Releases National Quality Reporting Map

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released an online tool to help patients find healthcare quality information and select local providers. The tool, called Comparing Health Care Quality: A National Directory, allows users to select a region on an online map and then provides links to reports from local quality organizations and hospital associations. The [...]

Recovery Defined: A Unified Working Definition and Set of Principles

In August 2010, leaders in the behavioral health field, including people in recovery from mental health and addiction problems and SAMHSA met to explore the development of a common, unified definition of recovery. Prior to this conversation it was very apparent as to the need of a common definition. In fact, SAMHSA had separate [...]

Consumer-Operated Mental Health Services KIT Available Online

The second of the new SAMHSA toolkits authored by AHP has finally been released. Hard copies of the Consumer-Operated Services KIT and DVD are expected to be available soon. Until they are available in those formats, the SAMHSA web site has all of the booklets in PDF format at http://store.samhsa.gov/product/Consumer-Operated-Services-Evidence-Based-Practices-EBP-Kit/SMA11-4633CD-DVD

This KIT is a comprehensive [...]

SAMHSA Launches Parity & Equity Web Resources

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) has just deployed a website dedicated to advancing and disseminating information concerning the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). http://www.samhsa.gov/healthreform/parity/

The site is loaded with educational and informative sections addressing the laws history and background, its vital importance, and its enforcement. It [...]

Prescription Drug Abuse Made Easy by Internet Search Engines

A new study released today by Health Affairs shows that a 10 percent increase in the availability of high-speed Internet service was associated with an approximately 1 percent increase in admissions to treatment for prescription drug abuse. Pain killers, anti-anxiety medications, and amphetamines are examples of otherwise tightly controlled narcotic prescription drugs sought and [...]

Budgets Cut to the Bone, Forcing Behavioral Health into Emergency Rooms

We’ve heard much about the 32 states that have cut a combined $1.8 billion in non-Medicaid behavioral health funding in the past 2 years and yesterday we learned about an additional $46 million coming out of the SAMHSA budget as a result of the recent agreement on the Federal budget. The National Association of State [...]

Defunding Threatens Already Unstable Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Education Programs

More than two-thirds of states cut mental health funding from their general fund budgets over the last two years, according to a report released by NAMI last week. New York’s Governor Cuomo submitted a budget that strips education in that state of more than $1B in funding in the coming fiscal year. California’s Department of Mental [...]

How Will Parity Impact Consumer Behavior?

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA or “parity”) – particularly in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable care Act (PPACA or “reform”) – raises every conceivable question and concern in our field. As might be expected, health plans are wrestling with interpretation and procedural questions, employers are asking for [...]

CMS Offers States, CHIP and Medicaid MCOs Limited Direction with Respect to Parity

On November 4th Cindy Mann of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offered a rare glimpse into the guidance and direction plans and providers around the country are anticipating in January. Specifically, her letter was directed to “State Health Officials” responsible for Medicaid and CHIP. Her purpose was to provide some “general [...]

Is Mental Health Parity a Civil Rights Issue?

While in DC last week, I heard someone quip: “Mental health parity was and continues to be a civil rights concern.” Frankly, while I had always thought of it in terms of equity and fairness as well as a resolution of stigma and discrimination issues, I had not thought often of Parity in terms [...]

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