A report by a presidential task force made several recommendations to help enforce the nation’s parity laws, but admits there is much more work to be done to insure those suffering from mental illnesses and addiction do not continue to face discrimination in their health care. “These disorders,” the report says, “affect society in ways […]
The delivery and conduct of Pre-employment Psychological Evaluations (PPE’s) of police and public safety officers are crucial to candidates and the agencies to ensure that prospective employees are suitable for the work. Psychologists overseeing and conducting these assessments must follow the standards and consensus of professional practice and, critically, must be consistent in the methodologies […]
Because psychologists are exempt for the next two years from the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for Medicare providers that rolled out in January, some are breathing sighs of relief with no worries of incurring financial penalties for not screening for conditions patients do not mention. They argue that the exemption will save time and […]
A massive outpouring of opposition by Ohio psychologists and other mental health professionals blocked an attempt to eliminate the State Board of Psychology and other licensing boards and create a new licensing structure during a December lame duck session of the state legislature. The proposal to eliminate several licensing boards dealing with mental health issues […]
To make the transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 somewhat easier no deletions, additions or wording changes were allowed to the ICD-10 formalized several years ago. However, the moratorium has run its course and changes to the diagnoses and code numbers to be used for documentation and billing for services rendered after Oct. 1 were recently […]
Vermont has become the fifth state to ban the use of conversion therapy on patients younger than 18. The overwhelming voice vote against the therapy that seeks to turn gay individuals into straight ones was enacted after a plea from gay legislator State Sen. Becca Balint of Windham County. She said that while being gay […]
Mental health professionals are often asked to certify patients are “disabled” or have a “disability related need” for a service dog or therapy animal. Responding requires care, because “disability” and “disabled” are legal, not medical concepts. A certificate or confirmation that a patient is disabled made without considering the legal context may lead to involvement […]
Like many Americans, stakeholders in the health industry were stunned by Election Night 2016. Since virtually all pundits and polls had projected a victory for Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was considered “a program that wasn’t going anywhere,” as Charles Kahn, the Federation of American Hospitals’ chief executive, described it, […]
Psychologists and other mental health advocates enter 2017 with concern that the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president may signal even tighter budgets for treatment. With Trump taking office, Republicans will control the executive branch and hold majorities in both houses of Congress, meaning they can be expected to make good on the […]
The U.S. House passed H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act 422-2 in July and forwarded it for Senate consideration. Lead sponsors of the measure are Reps. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., a clinical psychologist, and Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas. Susan H. McDaniel, Ph.D., president of the American Psychological Association (APA), called the passage […]
