Behavioral Health Management articles from September 1997

Behavioral Health Management archives from September 1997

A warning for parity?
September 1, 1997... One year ago, parity between mental health and other healthcare benefits officially became national policy. The Federal government joined 15 states that already had legislation encouraging parity, using at least minimal benchmarks, and today...

Practice management software. (includes checklist for evaluating company needs)
September 1, 1997... The practitioner or organization considering the purchase of a practice management software system today faces a bewildering array of choices. An informal survey of the literature and other databases indicates the availability of over 400...

Outcomes: it's time to get serious. (establishing accurate measurements of results of treatment)
September 1, 1997... The behavioral healthcare field has been talking about outcome measures or studies for as long as I can remember. Most of the conversations, though, have addressed not much more than some informal data collection done by facility staff and...

Keeping it simple: the AABH outcomes measurement protocol. (Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare)(Cover Story)(Interview)
September 1, 1997... Short of simply staying in business, behavioral healthcare treatment providers face few more daunting prospects than attemping to create an outcomes measurement system. But it seems unavoidable, with everyone demanding more and more "data,"...

Outcomes roadblocks: problems and solutions. (improving the measurement of outcomes to provide more practical information)(Cover Story)
September 1, 1997... During the past year, our firm has rolled out what we believe is the largest outcomes project of its kind in the United States--developing outcome systems in more than seven states and with more than 15,000 clinicians working in public and...

Outcomes measures: meeting of the minds. (mental health outcomes)(Cover Story)
September 1, 1997... In our radically changing healthcare delivery system, the most important standard of success in mental health and substance abuse care remains a good outcome for the patient. In spite of the highly publicized differences between the...

JCAHO's ORYX initiative: implications for behavioral healthcare providers. (Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare organizations)
September 1, 1997... Part of the "Agenda for Change" activities engaged in by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) involved identifying well-tested performance measures and launching a national performance measurement...

What NIAAA's Project MATCH really found. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)(Cover Story)(Interview)
September 1, 1997... At first glance the message to managed behavioral care decision makers seemed to be this: It doesn't matter which type of treatment alcohol-abusing clients use, they'll do equally well with any of them--and thus the managed-care-friendly...

Compass Information Services, Inc.: last rites?(Cover Story)
September 1, 1997... When Compass Information Services, Inc., a leading developer of outcomes management systems for behavioral health care, went out of business this June, investors and creditors lost money, staff lost jobs and clients--the treatment systems that...

A corporate campaign for quality: Digital Equipment Corporation finds optimal managed health care essential to productive, creative, focused employees.
September 1, 1997... Digital Equipment Corporation has a compelling philosophy when it comes to health care for its employees: Employees who enjoy optimal health care are productive, creative, enthusiastic and focused on their work. Based in Maynard, MA, Digital...

A farewell to 'quality.' (measuring outcomes are not enough)(Editorial)
September 1, 1997... Have you ever reached into your pocket and pulled out an old, worn-out quarter--George Washington faded to obliteration, the eagle on back long since flown away? It is a coin well on its way to becoming nothing more than a circular piece of...

Credentialing addiction specialists.
September 1, 1997... Today's efforts to contain healthcare costs have prompted providers to become increasingly accountable for their treatment outcomes. In the field of addiction treatment, requiring specialists to obtain credentials is another way to assure...