Behavioral
Health News

How Are You Feeling Today?

Second Victim Support Programs in the Wake of COVID

It is no secret Covid has ravaged the mental health of care providers throughout the country. In December 2020 the Joint Commission published a safety alert regarding the negative impact COVID was having on healthcare workers.

McLaren Macomb Opens Freestanding Behavioral Health Center – Watch the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Construction of the McLaren Macomb Senior Behavioral Health Center began in the fall of 2020 and represents an $8 million investment by the hospital to the community and its senior citizens.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

When a suicide-related crisis occurs, friends and family are often caught off-guard, unprepared and unsure of what to do. The behaviors of a person experiencing a crisis can be unpredictable, changing dramatically without warning.

Drug Overdose Deaths in 2020 Hit Highest Number Ever Recorded, CDC Data Shows

The following is an excerpt from a CDC report shared by (CNN) stating more than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2020 – a 29.4% increase from the 72,151 deaths projected for 2019.

Peace Hospital Opens Inpatient Mental Health Unit for 55 and Older

The 20-bed unit will centralize treatment for aging adults experiencing a range of mental health and substance use disorders.  It will be housed downtown at the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute through a partnership between Peace Hospital and Signet Health.

How to Address Behavioral Health Issues Posed by the Pandemic (Virtual Symposium Session, 12/8)

On December 8th, modernhealthcare.com is hosting a virtual symposium.  One session of particular note is a featured session entitled How to Address Behavioral Health Issues Posed by the Pandemic.

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Celebrates Discharged COVID-19 Patient

Recently, Mr. Tim Dugan was discharged from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital after recovering from COVID-19. Mr. Dugan was welcomed outside of the hospital by Roger E. Seaver, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital President and CEO,

Millennial Generation Deaths Due to Drug Misuse up 400 percent since 1999; Deaths from Drugs and Suicide at All-time Highs

WASHINGTON and OAKLAND, Calif., June 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Young adult deaths due to alcohol and drug misuse and suicide have increased precipitously among 18- to 34-year-olds during the last two decades, including a

A Look Into Older Adults’ State of Mind

From U.S. News: The oldest age group is growing, but its supply of psychological support is dwindling…One in four adults ages 65 and older experiences a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or dementia,

FY 2014 Medicare DSH Reimbursement Changes

Section 3133 of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act modifies the methodology for computing the Medicare DSH payment adjustment beginning in FY 2014. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rules

Psychiatrists and the Affordable Care Act

Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is set to move forward, and up to half of the states have begun implementing a provision urging formation of “health homes.” By including mental health diagnoses

Mental healthcare feeling strain of state budget cuts, study says

Mental healthcare services continue to feel the pinch of strained state budgets, as a new study shows states cut more than $1.6 billion in general funds from their state mental health agency budgets from fiscal years 2009 through 2012.

More seniors with mental health issues ending up in the ER

By Stephanie Bouchard, Associate Editor, Healthcare Finance News HONOLULU – A study presented last month at the annual American Psychiatric Association conference points to a pending crisis in geriatric psychiatry

States slash $1.8 billion in mental health funds since 2009

By Sophie Terbush, USA TODAY Since 2009, state legislatures have cut $1.8 billion in non-Medicaid mental health spending, according to a report released today by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Of Medical Specialties, Demand for Psychiatrists Growing Fastest

By Stephanie Steinberg, USA TODAY A national physician recruiting firm says the demand for psychiatrists is climbing faster than for any other medical specialty.

Joint SAMHSA AHRQ Study Reveals that the Vast Majority of Psychiatric Treatment in Community Hospitals Occurs in Specialty Units

Over 90 percent of psychiatric patients who received treatment in community hospitals were cared for in hospital-based psychiatric specialty units, according to a study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

New Rules Promise Better Mental Health Coverage

by Robert Pear The New York Times WASHINGTON — The Obama administration issued new rules on Friday that promise to improve insurance coverage of mental health care for more than 140 million people insured through their jobs.

Interim Rule Issued on Mental Health Parity

The Obama administration issued an interim final rule that offers guidance on how the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act will be implemented. Passed in 2008, the act requires that any

Mental Health Still Seen Lagging

Washington, D.C. – The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released a new report, Grading the States, assessing the nation’s public mental health care system for adults and finding that the national average grade is a D.

Fact Sheet for Medicare Disproportionate Share Hospital

Section 9105 of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-272) amended Section 1886(d)(5) of the Social Security Act (the Act) to add new subparagraph (F), known as the Medicare Disproportionate

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA)

On October 3, 2008, the President signed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA). Key changes made by MHPAEA, which is generally effective for plan years beginning after October 3, 2009, include the following:

Proposed psych facility payment update released

Medicare payments to 1,706 inpatient psychiatric facilities will increase by $87 million over the next year, under a proposed rule issued by the CMS.

Rise in need for behavioral care reported by NAPHS

As lawmakers continue to mull over mental-health parity legislation on Capitol Hill, a new report indicates greater demand for behavioral health services in the U.S. The annual report from the National Association of Psychiatric Health

IPF PPS Regulations and Notices

This list includes proposed and final regulations and notices about CMS Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) Prospective Payment System (PPS).

H.R.1424 Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007

To amend section 712 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, section 2705 of the Public Health Service Act, and section 9812 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require equity in the provision of mental health and substance-related disorder benefits under group health plans.

Mental healthcare feeling strain of state budget cuts, study says

By Jessica Zigmond Mental healthcare services continue to feel the pinch of strained state budgets, as a new study shows states cut more than $1.6 billion in general funds from their state mental health agency budgets from fiscal years 2009 through 2012.

National report finds one-in-five Americans experienced mental illness in the past year

A new national report reveals that 45.9 million American adults aged 18 or older, or 20 percent of this age group, experienced mental illness in the past year. The rate of mental illness was more than twice as high among those aged

Reintroduced bill aims to expand Medicare’s mental health coverage

Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) reintroduced a bill that would expand Medicare’s mental healthcare coverage by eliminating a cap on Medicare services for mentally ill patients.

Two in 5 Nursing Home Residents Depressed: Study

Almost half of Canadian seniors living in nursing homes and retirement homes are trying to cope with depression, new research finds. And many are suffering without the help they need.

How Are You Feeling Today?

October 8, 2021

Online screening is one of the quickest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition and should seek help. Conditions

Second Victim Support Programs in the Wake of COVID

September 28, 2021

It is no secret Covid has ravaged the mental health of care providers throughout the country. In December 2020 the Joint Commission published a safety alert regarding the negative impact COVID was having on healthcare workers.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

September 2, 2021

When a suicide-related crisis occurs, friends and family are often caught off-guard, unprepared and unsure of what to do. The behaviors of a person experiencing a crisis can be unpredictable, changing dramatically without warning.

Peace Hospital Opens Inpatient Mental Health Unit for 55 and Older

June 22, 2021

The 20-bed unit will centralize treatment for aging adults experiencing a range of mental health and substance use disorders.  It will be housed downtown at the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute through a partnership between Peace Hospital and Signet Health.

A Look Into Older Adults’ State of Mind

October 19, 2017

From U.S. News: The oldest age group is growing, but its supply of psychological support is dwindling…One in four adults ages 65 and older experiences a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or dementia,