Shrinking Inpatient Psychiatric Capacity: Cause for Celebration or Concern?
This issue brief examines reported capacity constraints in inpatient psychiatric services and describes how these services fit within the continuum of care for mental health treatment. The paper summarizes the type and range of
The Joint Commission Announces 2010 National Patient Safety Goals for Behavioral Health Care
The Joint Commission today announced the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals and related requirements for accredited behavioral health care organizations. The purpose of the 2010 National Patient Safety Goals is to improve patient safety.
Mentally ill face extra-long ER waits
Psychiatric patients who need hospitalization wait for hours in emergency departments for admission because hospitals are dropping mental health units and beds are scarce, a new survey says.
Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System
To view the whole article about IPF-PPS, visit www.cms.hhs.gov
Effective January 2005, §124 of Public Law 106-113, the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, required implementation of the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility Prospective Payment System (IPF PPS) for psychiatric services
Mental Health Report by the Surgeon General
View the whole report at www.surgeongeneral.gov.
This first Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health is issued at the culmination of a half-century that has witnessed remarkable advances in the understanding of mental disorders and the brain
Depression more damaging than some chronic illnesses
LONDON (Reuters) – Depression is more damaging to everyday health than chronic diseases such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes, researchers said on Friday.
RAC program needs to improve error-handling, GAO says
By Jennifer Lubell
The CMS needs to do a better job of addressing and promptly correcting service-specific errors that result in improper payments under its Recovery Audit Contractor program, the Government Accountability Office recommended in a new report.
RACs should get mandatory fraud training: OIG
Recovery audit contractors should receive mandatory training on the identification and referral of fraud, HHS’ inspector general’s office recommended in a new report (PDF file).
Office of Inspector General 2010 Work Plan
We are pleased to present the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for fiscal year (FY) 2010. This publication describes activities that OIG plans to initiate or continue with respect to the programs and operations of the
RAC Program Moves Ahead After Delay
For a while, CMS’s Recovery Audit Contractor program was on hold, held back by a stop-work order instituted over a dispute involving vendor contracts. Now, however, CMS has resolved the dispute and has made plans to move ahead
