Behavioral Health Management articles from January 2002

Behavioral Health Management archives from January 2002

IT: outdated strategies prevail. (Editorial).(information technology)
January 1, 2002... No news flash here--OPEN MINDS' new technology application survey just confirmed what most of us already knew: There is very limited use of even basic technology in the behavioral healthcare field. Here are some findings that confirmed my worst...

Lawmaking: a civics lesson. (Washington Insights).
January 1, 2002... December, normally a dead period for Washington policy making, was an unusually productive period for Congress last year. Bills and proposals that had languished untouched since September suddenly were "hot." Appropriations in particular were...

New rules for investing in information technology: how to make firm decisions in a changing landscape. (Technology Solutions).
January 1, 2002... Should my organization invest in information technology (IT)? What kind of IT do we need, and how do we plan its implementation? How much should my organization spend on IT? Should we build or buy the technological functionality that we need?...

3 paths to IT upgrades: the "right one" depends on the organization, as shown in these cases. (Cover Story).(information technology)
January 1, 2002... Technology adoption in the behavioral health field has not been a rapid or smooth transition. Behavioral health organizations are slow to purchase new information systems and telecommunication technologies. New systems and technologies do not...

E-learning update: based on interviews with two users of ContinuedLearning.com.
January 1, 2002... Training over the Internet--e-learning--promises important advantages to staff training in terms of convenience, focus, measurable results d personnel administration. Heritage Behavioral Health, a nonprofit community mental health organization...

Data warehouses: they aren't just for big guys anymore: small operators can now get their own "big picture" data.
January 1, 2002... Relatively recent advances in data-warehousing software, combined with the continued reduction in the cost of information technology (IT), have made data mining and analysis affordable for most organizations. The benefits are many, but the...

How Heritage Behavioral Health won the Davies Award: perspectives from all sides on the difficulties and ultimate success of this agency's unique achievement in IT development.(information technology)
January 1, 2002... Behavioral health organizations develop strategies for creating a competitive edge by improving the delivery of client services. One such strategy increasingly adopted by organizations is the development of a computerized patient record (CPR)....

SATVA: IT Vendors' Information Central: the birth and promise of a new trade association. (Feature Article).(Software And Technology Vendors' Association)
January 1, 2002... On June 21,2001, representatives of many of the major software and technology companies that serve behavioral health and human services organizations met for a full day--for the eighth time in two years. This meeting was, however, different...

National awards for substance abuse prevention: a federal agency has teamed up with national organizations to highlight successful local programs.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, and the National Prevention Network present awards)
January 1, 2002... An ounce of prevention is worth A pound of cure. --Benjamin Franklin Dr. Paul Brounstein believes in this adage. Hoping to tip the scales in favor of drug abuse prevention, he's part of a multiorganization effort to honor successful...

Construction advice: go modular, start faster: this new facility was up and running about six months after construction began. Here's how. (Feature Article).
January 1, 2002... Approximately one of every five residents in Douglas County, Oregon, will suffer from some form of mental illness during his or her life. Moreover, the suicide rate for those 5 to 14 years of age is nearly 80% higher in Oregon than the national...

Workflow Management System. (Product Spotlight).
January 1, 2002... Sequest's new TIER[R] Workflow System is a comprehensive, integrated software solution to meet organization management needs and accreditation compliance requirements. Sequest focused its design on Information Management, one of six...

Posttraumatic stress disorder resources. (Product Spotlight).
January 1, 2002... The Madison Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit mental health resource center located in Madison, Wisconsin, is helping survivors of the September 11 terrorist attacks and their families by providing a free educational Web site on posttraumatic...

Customized data services. (Product Spotlight).
January 1, 2002... HHM of Rhode Island, LLC (HHMRI), has recently launched its Information Technology Service Bureau, offering flexible and customized data services, and providing the ability to input data from virtually any source, using any platform. It is not...

Updated treatment directory. (Product Spotlight).(from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
January 1, 2002... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released its updated National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs, a guide containing information on thousands of local treatment programs in each...

Accreditation compliance guide. (Product Spotlight).
January 1, 2002... Joint Commission Resources, a subsidiary of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), has published Restraint and Seclusion: Complying with Joint Commission Standards, which pays special attention to behavioral...

Enhanced substance abuse Web site. (Product Spotlight).(Boston University School of Public Health's website)(www.jointogether.org/sa)
January 1, 2002... Join Together Online, a nonprofit project of the Boston University School of Public Health, has redesigned its Web site at www.jointogether.org/sa. The site is the centerpiece of Join Together's network of Internet information services, aiding...

Our roles in a rebuilding economy. (Views From The Trenches).
January 1, 2002... The nation has crept further into recession since 9/11. Business consolidations, rightsizings, downsizings and RIFs (reductions in force) have caused the loss of 1.2 million jobs since spring and a leap in the unemployment rate to 5.8% (as of...