Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow articles from December 2004

Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow archives from December 2004

Time for a mental health checkup?(LETTERFROMTHEEDITOR)
December 1, 2004... The image of the trusted family doctor, toting black bag and reassuring demeanor, rests as far from today's reality as the washtub and the icebox. But the notion that the mental health community someday could put a fresh spin on an old idea...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2004... The article titled "Picking Up Where Facilities Leave Off" in the October 2004 issue lists a Reference to an article of R. Lechnyr, "Cost savings and effectiveness of mental health services," in error.

Going proactive: embracing outreach and prevention in the public mental health arena.(ADVOCACY)
December 1, 2004... It is becoming increasingly evident that good mental health is essential to overall health and well-being. Underscoring this concept, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has broadened its scope beyond its traditional mission of...

Some antipsychotics' effect on suicide; Duloxetine's promise for elderly.(PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
December 1, 2004... Newer Antipsychotics Could Offer Protection from Suicide A growing body of research is indicating that use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) may offer a protective effect from suicidal behavior. While this phenomenon previously...

Rethinking eating disorders: treatment must account for diversity of affected population.(CLINICALREPORT)
December 1, 2004... Try to picture someone with an eating disorder and you're likely to think of an undernourished young woman, probably around college age. But while young women still account for the majority of people with eating disorders, the number of men...

The medication solution: tapering down; Amid opposition to 'black box' for kids, many foresee less prescribing.(Cover Story)
December 1, 2004... Psychiatrists, pediatricians and other professionals who address child and adolescent angst may be wise to brush up on their family systems therapy and cognitive-behavioral treatment skills. The immediate store of child psychopharmacology...

From the editor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... With all of the clinical, financial, legal and regulatory challenges you and your agencies grapple with, does staff compensation sometimes get lost in the shuffle? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As we embarked on publishing our second annual...

None for the money: with behavioral compensation lagging, workers and leaders stress field's intangibles.
December 1, 2004... Do what you love and love what you do. Because in the real world (for most), there's no mega-jackpot about to change one's life, no bundle of good fortune coming into view from high above. That sentiment rings especially true in...

Improving success with managed care on addiction-related matters: providers need crash course in level-of-care decisions.
December 1, 2004... In order to work successfully with managed behavioral healthcare companies when accessing services for addicted clients, you must first speak their language and understand their protocol. Particularly in regard to services for drug or alcohol...

How to hire successfully (Part I).(Advertisement)
December 1, 2004... Have you ever made a hiring mistake you've lived to regret? I feel sure that either your answer to that question is "yes", or else you're not a hiring supervisor for your organization! The next time you interview a job candidate, try some...

A new frontier: psychologists practicing in primary care settings; Partnership designed to improve quality of depression care.
December 1, 2004... An increase in depression care in primary care settings, as well as concerns about the quality of the behavioral healthcare, has been well-documented in the medical literature. [1,2,3,4,5,6] The response to this has been the development of a...

BPD resource shows how much clients must overcome.(Borderline Personality Disorder)
December 1, 2004... Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder and Addiction Co-Occurring Disorders Series, Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services, Center City, Minn. (800-328-9000), 2004. ISBN: 1-59285-150-9, Video, 20 minutes. ISBN:...

Having the will to lead.(MOVER)
December 1, 2004... People who choose to work in behavioral healthcare work so hard, and for patients who are so needy, that they deserve to have good leadership, says Bill Rusen, who has set out to make himself worthy of their trust. For Rusen, executive...

The UNI/CARE perspective.
December 1, 2004... A daunting challenge of healthcare delivery systems is to continually measure and study the effectiveness and efficiency of its practices. The scarcity of funding sources, the complexities of payer rules for reimbursement, the increasing...

Organization's management of denials leads to focus on clinical improvement.
December 1, 2004... It's easy for behavioral health providers to point the finger at faceless payers, but harder to look inward and address agency problems that exacerbate the situation. Officials at Spring Harbor Hospital in Maine would advise their...

Don't know your payments appeal rights? Contesting denied claims can benefit.
December 1, 2004... Increasingly, behavioral health care organizations across the country are reporting delays in reimbursements due to claims denials or underpayments. If left unchecked, these denials threaten providers' cash flow. Unfortunately, most...

Want payments for your outpatient services? Avoid these pitfalls with managed care.
December 1, 2004... As I have noted previously, managed care organizations (MCOs) determine if services are medically necessary and therefore payable based on various indicators of the focus, appropriateness and length of treatment. Provider organizations are...

Billing in the Post-HIPAA World: when and how to outsource.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
December 1, 2004... HIPAA Standard Transactions have convinced many individual, small and medium-sized practices that it may be simpler to partner with a billing company, claims processor or clearinghouse than to purchase hardware, software and expertise to...

CMS institutes changes: new policies on bonus payments, contract services.
December 1, 2004... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released four transmittals and comments that have a significant impact on where one can locate basic regulations affecting a psychiatric (and other) practice. These may have...