Behavioral Health Management articles from September 1994

Behavioral Health Management archives from September 1994

"Seamless." (health care jargon) (Editorial)
September 1, 1994... Like movie stars, fashion styles and TV shows, words can be in vogue. "Vogue-ish" adjectives, for example, seem to crop up constantly to describe health care -- the sturdy, all-purpose "comprehensive," the ever-popular "high-quality," the New...

The numbers crunch: is drug abuse up or down?
September 1, 1994... Over 50 years ago, an exasperated policymaker declared that "There are lies, d--ned lies, and statistics." The author of that memorable quote has the sympathy of anyone trying to make sense from the numbers used for substance abuse policy....

What are "good" guidelines? (behavioral health care practice guidelines) (Cover Story)
September 1, 1994... What constitutes a "good" set of behavioral health care guidelines? The question is simple enough, but with today's behavioral health care state-of-the-art, the answer is not so simple. In fact, devising good practice guidelines takes a great...

Practice guidelines: the legal issues. (interview with Paul Schyve, senior vice president of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) (Cover Story)
September 1, 1994... Practice guidelines are hardly a new concept, but the context in which they are being used is quite new, and still evolving. Managed care organizations, state agencies and other payers for care are turning increasingly toward formal guidelines...

HEDIS 2.0: seeking parity for behavioral care. (Health Employer Data and Information Set, interview with Janet Corrigan of the National Committee for Quality Assurance) (Interview)
September 1, 1994... It seems only fitting: If managed care companies are going to be the judge and jury of the health care delivered to millions of Americans, shouldn't they have their own report card to answer to? Enter the Health Employer Data and Information...

Upgrading the ASAM criteria. (American Society of Addiction Medicine's Level of Care Criteria) (Cover Story)
September 1, 1994... Though they remain controversial to some in the addiction treatment field, the American Society of Addiction Medicine's "Levels of Care" Criteria are gaining increasing acceptance by previously skeptical third-party payers and managed care....

Chaos and the study of addictions.
September 1, 1994... So what is "chaos" theory and what does it have to do with addictions work? It should be explained that this scientific theory is provocatively but not quite accurately named. It does not in fact refer to total disorder, as suggested by the...

Treatment considerations for the addicted nurse.
September 1, 1994... Addicted nurses have particular issues that add complexity to their recovery. Nurses are two to three times more likely to be impaired by chemical dependency than the general population.(1) They are used to prescribing or administering pills to...

Recovering physicians group. (from substance abuse)(includes related information on the Physicians Recovery Network, part of the Michigan State Medical Society's Committee to Assist Impaired Physicians)
September 1, 1994... Accustomed to viewing life from atop a pedestal and cloaked with a mantle of omnipotence, it's especially difficult for physicians to admit that they can be chemically dependent...addicted...something less than perfect. The fortunate ones...

Probing the "mystery" of behavioral case management.
September 1, 1994... A growing number of companies are electing case management to manage their behavioral care benefits -- once they understand what behavioral case management is. This can be a challenge, because considerable confusion still exists as to what case...

Capitated health plans: one health system's keys to survival.
September 1, 1994... In 1991, managed care came to St. Luke's Health System, a Phoenix-based three-hospital system that includes a Behavioral Health Center as well as traditional med/surg services and two in-house skilled nursing facilities. The implementation of a...

Spiritual focus as a therapeutic strategy.
September 1, 1994... The single most important event for an addict or alcoholic to experience in early recovery is the beginning of a distinct spiritual focus for living. In many cases the alcoholic or addict is cynical, agnostic, or atheistic -- or their spiritual...

Cocaethylene: a novel - and psychoactive - cocaine metabolite.
September 1, 1994... Recent research reveals that cocaine, when consumed with alcohol, forms a unique cocaine metabolite that is psychoactive, euphoric, addictive, and toxic. It is important for addiction professionals, and those who sponsor their treatment...

Adapting the Twelve Steps to chronic pain.
September 1, 1994... One of the glaring weaknesses of chronic pain management programs is that the support in their post-treatment period is poor. Insurance companies spend huge sums for treatment, and people do marvelously well while in treatment. But aftercare is...

Managing the learning disabled client.
September 1, 1994... Many types of treatment weave large components of learning within their therapeutic approaches. In fact, most aspects of treatment center on speaking, writing and reading. Clients must be able to speak about their problems and adequately...

Denial: reports of its death are premature. (Editorial)
September 1, 1994... Although I heartily disagree with Dr. Michael J. Taleff's assertion that the concept of denial should be eliminated in the field of addictions,(1) I want to thank him for addressing an issue which has had too little attention. In reality,...

Guarding patient confidentiality in a managed care setting.
September 1, 1994... There is no question that patient confidentiality is of growing concern among all participants in the behavioral managed care field. More and more, employers and employees are demanding that confidentiality provisions be explicitly spelled out...

Addictions treatment, 2024: a prediction.
September 1, 1994... What will the 21st century bring to the field of addictive disorders? What is probable? What is possible? This kind of "guessing" is fueled by the current anticipation of a revolution in all of health care and a number of scientific...