Category Care Coordination

Ron Manderscheid, PhD
Executive Director, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors and the National Association of Rural Mental Health

It’s no secret that opioid abuse remains a growing problem in the US, notwithstanding increased attention by policymakers, law enforcement and health care professionals from Main Street to the halls of the US Congress. Despite expressions of concern and promises of funding, little has improved the situation.  Indeed, as many as 2.4  million American today abuse painkillers; nearly 500,000 more abuse heroin.

Read More

A look at one program, and insight into how and why it works

Angela Mattson, DNP, MS, RN
We acknowledge the collaboration of National Network of Depression Centers in developing this series.

There’s been lots of discussion lately about integrated care, and how bringing behavioral healthcare into the primary care setting is the most effective, efficient, and sensitive way to care for people with mental healthcare needs.

But what’s that actually mean? What does integrated (or coordinated or collaborative) care look like from the patient perspective? As the Nursing Supervisor for Care Coordinat...

Read More

David Katzelnick, M.D.
Chair, Division of Integrated Behavioral Health
Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota
We acknowledge the collaboration of National Network of Depression Centers in developing this series.

Mental health and physical care coordination is an idea whose time has come. Not only is it proven to provide better patient outcomes, it achieves success at significantly lower costs.

Both TEAMcare, utilized throughout North America, and Care of Mental, Physical, and Substance-use Syndromes (COMPASS) are receiving growing acceptance and success...

Read More

David Katzelnick, M.D.
Chair, Division of Integrated Behavioral Health
Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota
We acknowledge the collaboration of National Network of Depression Centers in developing this series.

In my last post, I shared how people can become both engaged in and influence the quality of their mental health care. However, even more quality gains can be had by integrating the delivery of mental health care into the primary care setting.

Physical and mental health are intrinsically linked and should not be treated in isolation...

Read More

David Katzelnick, M.D.
Chair, Division of Integrated Behavioral Health, Mayo Clinic
We acknowledge the collaboration of National Network of Depression Centers in developing this series.

With a world of health information literally at our fingertips, patients are more informed and engaged than ever. Research indicates that patients who are actively involved in their own healthcare receive higher quality care and achieve better health outcomes.

Yet when it comes to mental health care, there is a lag in patient involvement, often because of the stigma attached to mental illness...

Read More

During the month of June, Care For Your Mind explored with our readers the nuances of HIPAA regulations. Each weekly post included a short poll to assist in better understanding the views of the CFYM readership around this topic. The polls asked questions about individual privacy protection, as well as a family member’s right to be involved in a loved one’s mental health care.

Readers Reveal Thoughts about HIPAA Reform in Online Survey

CFYM readership while not self-disclosing, is positioned towards individuals living with a mood disorder, their families, and policy makers. It would be reasonable to believe that readers responding to the polls fall into one of those three categories. However, because respondents are not asked to self-disclose, one cannot not make any calculations about trends within those categories.

What can be determined from the poll results, is that further dialogue about individual privacy protection and the rights of family members to be included when a loved one’s mental health is at stake needs to continue.

Read More

Leslie Secrest, MD
Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas

In our final post discussing the effect HIPAA policy and regulations have on both individuals living with a mood disorder and their families, we look at the implications of sharing elements of mental health treatment as part of the electronic health record (EHR).

Coordinating Patient Care in the HIPAA Era

Protecting patient privacy has long been a vital, but complicated priority for mental health care providers. In guarding our patients’ privacy, we aim to defend against prejudicial or discriminatory care. We balance those concerns with the realization that a patient’s health could be jeopardized if other providers do not have access to the full health picture. Sharing elements of a mental health record is, at times, in a patient’s best interest.

With the advent of electronic health records (EHR), it has become easier to control who has access to a person’s mental health information, and who does not. For instance, the EHR system that my hospital uses allows me to restrict mental health information to only the providers that I name. Certain keywords in the notes also trigger automatic privacy settings.

Read More

Jennifer Bernstein, JD, MPH
Senior Attorney, The Network for Public Health Law—Mid-States Region
University of Michigan School of Public Health

We continue our series on the interplay between patient privacy and families’ interest in their loved one’s care. Here, Attorney Jennifer Bernstein covers what two states are doing to allow for increased family involvement.

How Are States Addressing Patient Mental Health Privacy?
Though HIPAA is not necessarily a bar to family members obtaining information about their loved ones with mental illness, the wishes of patients are usually paramount. Some states have adopted more innovative legal provisions to help assist families and patients in both protecting privacy while improving care.

Read More