Behavioral Health Management articles from May 2005

Behavioral Health Management archives from May 2005

The workforce conundrum: behavioral health organizations are facing many different human resource challenges.(EDITORIAL)
May 1, 2005... The issue of workforce recruitment, development, and retention is the behavioral health management conundrum of the next decade. A conundrum is a riddle or puzzling question. Every manager in the field knows the question: Where do we find all...

What they didn't teach me in med school: prior authorizations, fast-food psychiatry, and endless paperwork abound in mental healthcare.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
May 1, 2005... I can speak only for myself, a fourth-year psychiatry resident in Cleveland, Ohio, but I would guess I'm not the only young, disappointed, and anxious psychiatrist about to be thrown out into our suffering mental health system. I was excited to...

Teen drug use's changing profile: the Bush administration claims a victory in reducing teen drug abuse, but the data also show some disturbing trends.(WASHINGTON INSIGHTS)
May 1, 2005... In April 2004, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) declared a significant victory in the war on drugs. An edition of NIDA Notes proclaimed: Falling to levels not seen in nearly a decade, past-month illicit drug use...

From paper and pencil to point and click: New Jersey's innovative IT program has led to automation and improved services.(IN RETROSPECT)
May 1, 2005... In May of 1984, the personal computer was still a relatively new business tool. The expense of these "wonder machines" (a Compaq Portable PC was $4,500) made them cost-prohibitive to all but the most profitable businesses. That certainly did...

Staff management.(Brief Article)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... The practice of behavioral healthcare is about taking care of patients' needs, but wise managers know they must also take into consideration the other side of the caregiving equation--staff. Staff make behavioral healthcare possible, but they...

Unions' role in behavioral health organizations.(Staff management)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... The U.S. workforce of the 21st century is expected to face a very different set of opportunities and challenges than faced by previous generations, according to the Workforce Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century Forum, hosted by...

Bringing your ethics policy to life.(Staff management)
May 1, 2005... Imagine, for a moment, that you were just hired as the clinical supervisor for the "Get 'em Clean" chemical dependency treatment program. You conducted a thorough investigation of your new employer to ensure it met your high standards for...

Behavioral health's school advisory role: an overview of how student advisories operate--and the opportunities for behavioral health providers.(EDUCATION)
May 1, 2005... Partnerships between community-based mental health organizations and school districts have flourished in the United States for decades, and their reciprocal benefits are readily apparent. Schools are able to address students' biopsychosocial...

Bringing new rhythms to care: how one provider went from the paper shuffle to the "electronic slide".(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2005... Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) sees more than 2,500 patients per year in its mental health department. Each year, the department recruits 20 interns and fellows for a one-year program in which they provide clinical services to the public...

ASAM's placement criteria: what's new: ASAM's Patient Placement Criteria have been limited by inconsistent training and understanding of its content and processes.(ADDICTION TREATMENT)
May 1, 2005... The American, Society of Addition Medicine s Patient Placement Criteria for the Treatment of Substance-Related Disorders (ASAM PPC) had its roots in the mid-1980s, even before managed behavioral healthcare began to significantly influence...

Creating safe and homelike facilities: everything from patients' beds to trees in courtyards must be considered.(FACILITY DESIGN)
May 1, 2005... Designing a psychiatric facility is I hardly a cut-and-dried process. The days of large hospital wards are long gone; they are being replaced with more homelike and therapeutic facilities. Yet designers must walk a fine line in balancing safety...

Teaching MDs the ABCs of addiction: Caron's intensive program aims to increase physician awareness of addiction in their patients.(ADDICTION EDUCATION)
May 1, 2005... A new patient comes to a doctor's office complaining of chronic back pain. She is 30 years old, is carefully and stylishly dressed, and is extremely cooperative with the doctor's questions and physical exam. She has brought a set of MRI films...

Addressing selective compliance in patients with bipolar depression: an expert panel discussion.(SPECIAL SECTION: BIPOLAR DISORDER)(Panel Discussion)
May 1, 2005... An estimated five million Americans have bipolar disorder, which is marked by alternating periods of moderate and severe depression and mania. In fact, the U.S. prevalence rate of bipolar I disorder is 1.6%. (1) Bipolar disorder is an episodic,...

The behavioral health industry? How the field describes itself has important implications for advancing its objectives.(AS I SEE IT)
May 1, 2005... When most people hear he word industry, they probably envision factories, widgets, assembly lines, machines, and Smokestacks--definitely not the stuff of behavioral healthcare. Yet for some reason, practitioners of mental health and substance...

Being an engaged it parent: just as with children, taking the time to work with an information system pays off in the end.(VIEWS ON TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2005... After another sleep-deprived night with a newborn, the expression that keeps popping into my mind is, "The only constant in life is change." Of course, this is not limited to parenting--the extension to information systems is quite fitting, as...

New Institute for Behavioral Health Informatics and Conference.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and OPEN MINDS have created the Institute for Behavioral Health Informatics, dedicated to defining and advancing the application of technologies to improve the delivery and management of behavioral...

Check printing.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... AP Technology's SecureCheck n[X.sup.2] is a laser MICR check and form printing system designed to increase check printing savings and security. More than 50 behavioral and mental health organizations are using the SecureCheck system. It allows...

ADHD program.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... The Learning Breakthrough Program is a balance and sensory activity program designed to help better organize brain processing to improve a child's overall functioning in areas of learning such as reading, writing, comprehension, and focus. New...

Substance use group therapy guide.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... SAMHSA has unveiled a comprehensive guide on the use of group therapy in the treatment of substance use disorders. The consensus panel that created Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy emphasized that group therapy is effective treatment...

New psychiatry Web site.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)(PsychiatryOnline.com)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. (APPI), has launched PsychiatryOnline.com. This new Web site features the complete content of DSM-IV-TR[R], along with other essential psychiatry resources including The American Journal of Psychiatry....

Medicare drug benefit information.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... To educate the public on the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, the National Mental Health Association created a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help individuals enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid understand the new...

Maximum software RFP distribution.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... Contact the major companies of the behavioral health software industry in one email. Send your information-technology--related RFPs to the Software and Technology Vendors' Association (SATVA) for posting on its Web site's members-only page....

Privacy clipboards.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... Carstens, Inc., has reengineered its Low-Profile Privacy Clipboards with an even more durable poly material to withstand heavy daily use and protect short-stay, outpatient, and other low-volume medical records. The easy-to-clean clipboards are...

Risk-management services.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... SafetyLogic Systems provides risk-management and patient safety educational and consultative services for healthcare organizations, state associations, and professional societies to promote a safe patient care environment and safety culture....

Nominations for Reintegration Awards.(PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... Eli Lilly and Company has announced a call for entries for its Reintegration Awards. The annual awards honor individuals and groups who support people living with severe mental illness, the achievements of people living with severe mental...

St. Rita's Medical Center, Geriatric Psychiatric Unit: Lima, Ohio.(FACILITY DESIGN SHOWCASE)
May 1, 2005... The recently renovated 18-bed Geriatric Psychiatric Unit at St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima, Ohio, embraces the idea that interior design can play an important role in patient care and recovery. For example, strong color contrast in flooring...

Meetings on information technology: vendors and organizations are collaborating on new technology, including the EMR.(VIEWS FROM THE TRENCHES)(National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare )
May 1, 2005... The trenches were crowded recently with more than 1,400 BH leaders convening in San Francisco for the 35th National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH) conference. In addition to the far-reaching educational sessions, with 140...