Behavioral Health Management articles from July 2005

Behavioral Health Management archives from July 2005

Debate over a good thing: rising healthcare costs aren't all bad news.(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2005... "This country is about, in my judgment, aggressive, open debate. There is an old saying: When everyone is thinking the same thing, no one is thinking very much." --Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) In 2005, debate in the healthcare field...

Consumer care: the feds' new favorite? Different federal initiatives are leading to mixed messages on the government's involvement in peer-led services.(WASHINGTON INSIGHTS)
July 1, 2005... The growing prominence of consumer-directed mental health services is one of the most visible features of the past decade of behavioral healthcare. The federal government has played a very visible role in this development, providing funding and...

When state hospitals were communities: the golden age of these facilities left a legacy still seen in mental healthcare.(IN RETROSPECT)
July 1, 2005... In the 21st century we take it for granted that we treat mentally ill people in programs in the communities where they live. Yet in another age, we cared for them in state hospitals. These hospitals were self-contained villages and communities....

The justice system connection.(issue contents)
July 1, 2005... All too often adults with mental health needs end up in the criminal justice system, where effective treatment is lacking and their problems are not fully understood. Taking advantage of what little care is available, some parents have...

When kids' only 'crime' is having a mental illness: an interview with Raymond Crowel, PsyD.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... I had to do it to save his life. But he hates me for it because it was like I abandoned him." That's how one mother described to the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch her experience of surrendering her mentally ill son to state custody so he could...

Mental health courts: a new solution to an old problem.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... You probably know the facts, if not the exact numbers: 16% of state prison inmates, 7% of federal inmates, and 16% of offenders in local jails or on probation either have a mental condition or have experienced an inpatient stay in a mental...

Building collaboration between criminal justice and mental health.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... Officials at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) were familiar with Tom's case. Tom suffered from a serious mental illness, and he had been incarcerated for the fourth time in two years on misdemeanor charges. Each time before...

Medicare Part D: a guide for mental health providers.(SPECIAL SECTION)
July 1, 2005... The concept is simple: providing our country's frail and disabled citizens with needed prescription drug coverage: After much debate about the specifics; Congress created a prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries--"Part D"--that...

Champions of behavioral health: profiles of three who are leaving their individualized marks on behavioral healthcare.(LEADERSHIP)
July 1, 2005... People who work in behavioral healthcare certainly do so because of a special calling to serve those who are in deep distress. But working with people with mental illnesses and substance abuse problems can be difficult, and it isn't made any...

EAP's domestic violence role: one MBHO/EAP teamed up with a major telecommunications provider to address the problem through the workplace.(DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)
July 1, 2005... Francesia La Rose's family filed a wrongful death action against her employer on the basis that the company had failed to protect her adequately. La Rose's former boyfriend called her supervisor and said that if she was not fired, he would come...

Using values as the blueprint: the optimal workplace is designed to emphasize and maximize the organization's mission and culture.(FACILITY DESIGN)
July 1, 2005... Walking into ProtoCall's call center before its recent renovation, one's first impression might have been that it looked "homey." Our staff sat at freestanding oak desks with green-shaded banker's lamps. We liked this arrangement because...

Redesigning to accommodate behavioral problems.(FACILITY DESIGN SHOWCASE)
July 1, 2005... When I took over as CEO of Lincoln Park Care Center in September 2001, like so many nursing homes, we had many empty beds, the building was 30 years old, and the facility looked tired. It no longer had curb appeal. We also had a large...

Rebooting behavioral healthcare: mental health's transformation must involve information technology.(VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2005... As the mental health field engages the concept and the process of transformation, I would like to add an essential dimension to the dialogue that is not recognized frequently. Moreover, I want to be bold about it. My assertion is simple:...

Bolstering behavioral health's image: Tom Cruise's ranting about psychiatry is a wake-up call.(AS I SEE IT)(Interview)
July 1, 2005... Behavioral healthcare usually does not receive the respect it deserves. A lack of a national parity law has relegated it to "second tier" status in the healthcare system. Mental illnesses and addictive disorders are still greatly misunderstood...

Electronic prescribing.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... DocuTrac, Inc. (DTI), Behavioral Health Software Development Corporation, announced the addition of Electronic Prescribing capability to the QuicDoc Standard and QuicDoc Enterprise Edition software. The subscription-based prescribing system...

Netsmart acquires addiction management systems.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a supplier of enterprise-wide software for health and human services providers through its wholly owned subsidiary, Creative Socio-Medics Corp. (Creative), has acquired the assets of Addiction Management Systems,...

Addiction assessment tool.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... Inflexxion has released a major upgrade to the Addiction Severity Index Multimedia Version (ASI-MV). ASI-MV 5 features new instruments, reports, and tools. A new Spanish assessment tool was developed and validated, while the English instrument...

Online EAP certificate program.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... The recently launched Northeastern University Institute for Employee Assistance will offer online individual courses, as well as a certificate program. Classes will begin in January 2006. The EAP program offers CEU, PDH, and other counseling...

Serving underserved areas.(National Health Service Corps)
July 1, 2005... The National Health Service Corps (NHSC), a group of primary care health professionals and the communities in which they serve, is looking for future clinicians and practice sites dedicated to making access to healthcare a reality for those...

E-learning services.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... Essential Learning is a provider of e-learning services to behavioral health and human services organizations. It assists organizations to reduce their training costs, improve staff knowledge and competence, and maintain compliance with...

Risk-management training CD.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
July 1, 2005... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) is offering a two-hour training CD on "Managing Risk in Behavioral Health Care" to help providers continuously review safety issues within their hospitals and residential treatment...

ECT risk-management report.
July 1, 2005... The issues surrounding electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) are examined by risk-management analysts in "Electroconvulsive Therapy," a new report by ECRI. The report explores the numerous patient safety and risk-management issues for ECT providers...

Tips and trends to watch: thoughts on some practice and management ideas that could be affecting treatment delivery in the near future.(VIEWS FROM THE TRENCHES)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... The Employee Assistance Society of North America's (EASNA) recent conference drew to a close in Chicago with 250 attendees, its largest yet. This is the organization that tried to merge with the larger Employee Assistance Professionals...