Practice Management Insight

July 2011

A report on events affecting Oklahoma providers

Where will you be

When the state changes

July 1

State’s Consolidated Claims Processing (CCP) System goes into effect

July 4

Independence Day

July 6-9

Annual NAMI Convention

National Alliance on Mental Illness

More Information

July 7 - 8

SOC Wraparound Training Tulsa

Register Online

July 11-15

RSS  Training

OKC

More Information

July 12– 13

Addiction Severity Index

Tulsa, OKC

More Information

July 14

OHCA Board Meeting

Duncan

More Information

July 14–15

Case Management Training

Tulsa

More Information

July 15

Methadone Myths and Facts

Afton

More Information

July 19

The Revised  second Addition  ASAM

Tulsa

More Information

July 21-22

SOAR Training

Broken Arrow

More Information

July 27-28

SOC Family Support Provider Training

Tulsa

July 28–29

ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skill  Training

Oklahoma City

More Information

July 29

2011 Suicide Prevention Conference

Tulsa

More Information

Take place?

Optum Health, an affiliate of United Behavioral Health Group, will take over as the new electronic claims management system for Oklahoma on October 1, 2011.   It was mentioned at the July 13, 2011, meeting of the Behavioral Health Advisory Council that when the new site comes online, centers will have to access a new website to enter their treatment plans and CDCs.  The possibility was suggested that each user may be required to obtain a new user name and password.  For centers that are currently accessing the APS website, this would indicate that they will need to retrain their entire team, as well as retool their system.  At the meeting, some centers expressed the sentiment that there appears to be little to no transition time as the new system goes on line October 1st.

Questions remain unanswered as to how a center will access information for a treatment plan or CDC that had been filed on the old APS system and was denied or otherwise unable to be processed.  Centers will be left to figure out who and where to contact to correct these types of issues.  Dr. Michael Forrester of Optum Health, speaking at the July 13meeting , stated the company plans to have a skeletal support team on hand, however, “they will not necessarily have the same functionality.”  This ambiguous statement has left some wondering exactly what type of support will be available to centers when the change-over takes effect.

Debbie Spaeth of OHCA mentioned at the same meeting that centers which currently utilize an EDI will not experience much distress due to the change process.  This is good news for users of ThinkHealth.  OrionNet Systems centers will need no additional employee training.  They will also have minimal downtime due to the system conversion.  Throughout the transitional process, ThinkHealth centers will be able to maintain stability and continue as before with little to no work-flow interruptions.

October 1,2011, will come and go, but for centers that use ThinkHealth they will sleep easier and barely notice the transition.  These are reasons why ThinkHealth is continually recognized, not only as the best software, but as the best support people anywhere.        More Info

“Quitting is hard but you don’t have to do it alone. SoonerCare offers a tobacco cessation benefit to help you with your attempt to stop smoking. Members may receive counseling as well as prescription and over-the-counter medications to help you stop using tobacco.”

Benefit Includes

“Counseling sessions with your SoonerCare physician to help you quit using tobacco

Over the counter medications – patches, gum & lozenges

Prescription medications – Zyban, Chantix, inhaler & nasal spray

If you don’t qualify for SoonerCare but would still like to quit using tobacco, you can contact the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is a free service to all Oklahomans who want to quit smoking or using other tobacco products. Through the Helpline, you can receive one-on-one quit coaching, specialized materials, and referrals to community resources.”

More Info

Ready to Quit Smoking?

The New York Times recently reported the results of a new study published by the National Journal of Economic Research.  This study provides “historic” evidence of the impact Medicaid insurance has on the lives of poor Americans.

The study shows those receiving Medicaid benefits were more likely to see the same doctor or clinic, use prescription drugs, and be admitted to the hospital.  Women Medicaid recipients were found to be “60 percent more likely to have ammograms.” .

Study Shows Benefits of Medicaid

Overall, the beneficiaries were “20 percent more likely to have their cholesterol checked” according to the study.

The research also indicates that those receiving the Medicaid insurance are more likely to pay their medical bills due to the lessening of the financial hardship from medical expenditures.  “It is a huge relief to people not to have to worry about it day in and day out,” stated Dr. Katherine Baicker, one of the principle investigators of the study.

Unique circumstances surrounding the study, which are detailed in the Times article, make the results highly reliable

OHCA has announced the upcoming retirement of Jolene Ring, Behavioral Health Specialist, on August 30, 2011.  Ring began her career as a school teacher, but desiring to assist children experiencing emotional problems, she transitioned into the mental health profession.  Before assuming the position with the Behavioral Health Division of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Ring worked for Tallaferro Community Mental Health Center in Lawton, the Oklahoma Youth Center of Norman, the Bethany Pavillion and CPC Southwind Hospital.  Never far from her first field of teaching, Ring has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Human Relations at the University of Oklahoma for the past several years.

In a touching tribute to Ring, Debbie Spaeth, Behavioral Health Director for OHCA, said,

“Jolene has always been supportive and patient with the providers for                  whom she has oversight. She is insightful, creative, and challenges                  providers to be the best they can be. Her close oversight and coordination                  with providers of the children who are in inpatient psychiatric care has                  resulted in a thirty percent decrease in the length of time they are in the                  hospital, allowing these children to   get back out in their home and                  community.”

We wish her great success in all her future endeavors.

To read more about the impact Jolene Ring has had on the Behavioral Health issues of Oklahoma, see the Summer 2011 issue of the SoonerCare Newsletter.

http://www.soonerpro.com/News/Newsletter.aspx

Jolene Ring Set to Retire from OHCA

On May 21, 2011, Oklahomans joined the thousands of concerned citizens nationwide in a walk to raise money and awareness about the need for first-rate treatments and recovery systems for those suffering with mental illness.

Walking around beautiful Lake Hefner, Mr. Sachdeva and Dr. Krishna led approximately 1,800 NAMI supporters in what has been called the “best walk ever!”  Due to the tireless efforts of those involved, the goal for Oklahoma was exceeded this year.

For more information on how you can get involved in future walks, visit the NAMI  Walks webpage.

http://www.nami.org/walkTemplate.cfm?Section=NAMIWALKS&template=/customsource/NAMIWalks/walksitedetail.cfm&walksiteID=162

MAKING EVERY STEP COUNT

“The Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program is a federal program that offers major financial support to assist certain providers to adopt (acquire and install), implement (train staff, deploy tools, exchange data), upgrade (expand functionality or interoperability) or meaningfully use certified EHR technology.”

For more information on the federal rules and to register with the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System, visit the CMS EHR Incentive Program website:

http://okhca.org/about.aspx?id=10601&parts=10606_12681_11697_11707

www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/.

OKLAHOMA’S HER

INCENTIVE PROGRAM

The outspoken former First Lady, Betty Ford, passed away July 8, 2011, of natural causes.  Known for her candor concerning issues once thought taboo, Mrs. Ford paved the way for increased medical attention for women dealing with addictions.

“She was a great liberator," said presidential historian Richard Norton Smith, "She not only liberated women, she liberated us from the crippling limits of labels.”  She was "the most important first lady of the post-World War II period," said Betty Ford biographer John Robert Greene. "Her influence on American society in general and American women in particular transcends even Eleanor Roosevelt…”

In 1978, Mrs. Ford began to lose her battle with alcohol and prescription pills.  Never one to shy away from the public eye, Mrs. Ford made the unheard of decision to share her personal pain with the world.  At the time of her admittance into the U.S. Naval Hospital in California, most substance abuse programs were directed at men. She became the face of women suffering with addiction.

The Betty Ford Center was founded in 1982 as the first treatment facility with an equal number of beds for women and men.  “We know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life,” said President Obama.  Former Vice-President Dick Cheney referred to Betty Ford’s center for addiction treatment as the legacy for “a place of healing.”

For more information on the life and legacy of Betty Ford, visit http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-08-betty-ford-obit_n.htm.

THE LEGACY OF FORMER FIRST LADY BETTY FORD

ATTENTION!!

NAMI OKLAHOMA HAS MOVED!!

NAMI Oklahoma has a new location:

4200 Perimeter Center Dr.

Suite 150,

Oklahoma City, OK  73112.

The new mailing address:

PO Box 12147,

Oklahoma City, OK  73157-2147

The phone number:

405-230-1900 or 1-800-583-1264