MHA Society for Behavioral Health

Joint Commission granted deeming authority for psychiatric hospitals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has approved The Joint Commission as a deeming organization for psychiatric hospitals seeking to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This means psychiatric hospitals accredited by The Joint Commission are deemed to meet all requirements for participation in the Medicare program.

The four-year approval takes effect Feb. 25.

Bill would provide mental health parity in Medicare

Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) on Feb. 17 introduced the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act (S. 374), legislation that would eliminate the 190-day lifetime cap on Medicare coverage for inpatients in psychiatric hospitals. The Mental Health Liaison Group, whose members include the AHA, recently voiced support for the bill.

"Through passage of landmark legislation, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, Congress put coverage for mental health and addictive disorders on par with other medical disorders," the group said in a letter to the sponsors. "…We must now finish the parity job and finally give Medicare beneficiaries the full parity that other individuals now have."

The current lifetime limit does not apply to psychiatric units in general hospitals.

Two Bills To Expand Mental Health Coverage Introduced

Two bills to expand mental health coverage were introduced on Feb. 17. Read more here.

Medicare Inpatient Psychiatric PPS: The proposed rule for RY2012

On January 21, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued its inpatient psychiatric facility (IPF) prospective payment system proposed rule for rate year 2012. The proposed rule affects freestanding IPFs, as well as IPF distinct-part units of acute care and critical access hospitals.

The American Hospital Association has released a Regulatory Advisory providing a detailed summary, including changes in the rate update period, the market basket, and the intern and resident cap. If you are an MHA member and would like a copy of this advisory, please email Shawn Rossi at srossi@mhanet.org.

Study Tracks Drug-Related Teen Suicides

Teenage girls are about three times as likely as boys to attempt suicide for drug-related reasons, according to an analysis of emergency-room visits. Read more here.

Behavioral Health Best Practices: Today and Tomorrow

On Tuesday, April 5, the Mississippi Hospital Association's Society for Behavioral Health will host Behavioral Health Best Practices: Today and Tomorrow at the MHA Conference Center in Madison. Sessions will cover suicide prevention, inpatient and outpatient services, telepsychiatry services and mental health first aid.

The cost to attend is $75 for society members and $135 for non-members (which includes a one-year socieyt membership). Register online here. For more information, contact Judith Forshee at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3216 or jforshee@mhanet.org.

New AHRQ Issue Focuses on Mental Illness Care Coordination

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently posted the February 2nd issue of the Health Care Innovations Exchange. The featured Innovations describe three programs that used care coordinators to assess, monitor, and connect individuals with mental illness to needed services.

The featured QualityTools provide practical tools to assist providers in improving communication and care coordination for individuals with mental illness. More innovations and tools on care coordination are available on the Innovations Exchange Web Site, which contains more than 550 searchable innovations and 1,575 searchable QualityTools.