Practice Management Insight

July 2012

A report on events affecting Oklahoma providers

July 1 – 31

Cord Blood Awareness Month

Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation

July 1 – 31

International Group B Strep Awareness Month

Group B Strep International

July 1 – 31

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

Arthritis Foundation

July 1 – 31

National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month

AmeriFace

July 1 – 31

UV Safety Month

Prevent Blindness America

July 4

Independence Day

July 6

Art of Effective Case Management

OKC

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July 11

Behavioral Health Advisory Council Meeting

OHCA

July 11

Drug Utilization Review Board Meeting

OHCA

July 12

OHCA Board Meeting

OHCA

July 13

Ethical Dilemmas Training-Case Managers Only

Tulsa

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July 13

Ethical Dilemmas Training-RSS Only

Tulsa

More Information

July 17

Perinatal Task Force Meeting

OU Health Sciences Center Campus/Schusterman Campus

July 17 – 23

Case Mgmt Training

OKC

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July 19

Medical Advisory Committee Meeting

OHCA

July 20

Specialty Court Orientation

OKC

More Information

July 20

Specialty Court Orientation

OKC

More Information

July 27

ODMHSAS Board Meeting

OKC

More Information

July 28

World Hepatitis Day

National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act

Individual mandate upheld as a tax; Medicaid expansion survives, but federal penalty powers with states are limited

Shortly after 10:15 AM on June 28th, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to affirm the Affordable Care Act, President Obama's signature domestic act. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. The individual mandate for the purchase of health insurance was affirmed not under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, but in the form of a tax.

Ruling on another significant element of the ACA, the nation's high court ruled that the Medicaid expansion provided for in the act is constitutional, but that it would be unconstitutional for the federal government to withhold Medicaid funding for non-compliance with the expansion provisions.

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National Council celebrates ACA decision, but worries about

Medicaid expansion

CEO Linda Rosenberg hails decision, but expresses concern about unexpected details of the Court's ruling that affect the Medicaid expansion.

The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (The National Council) — the nation’s voice for mental health and addictions providers — celebrates the reassurance that 16 million Americans will be newly granted access to America’s healthcare safety net in 2014. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is particularly critical for people with serious, chronic conditions such as mental illnesses and addictions, many of whom are currently uninsured.

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'Hill Day' advocates crowd Capitol Hill; see introduction of

four new bills

600 advocates from National Council, Mental Health America, and the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) press Congress to recognize and address the mental health needs of the nation.

Just days prior to the landmark June 28 Supreme Court decision upholding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, some 600 behavioral health advocates converged on Capitol Hill for the National Council’s 2012 Public Policy Institute and Hill Day, an event that this year included two new partners: Mental Health America and the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA).

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Are providers positioned to flourish under health reform?

Leaders resume their call for reaching a larger treatment population.

The importance of achieving a victory in the courts on health reform cannot be diminished, but in the days following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), addiction field leaders are trying to turn the provider community’s attention to its level of preparation for success in the health reform era.

A traditionally leading voice for redesigning addiction service systems sees numerous opportunities for treating individuals who have never been priority one in the specialty treatment sector—those who do not meet clinical criteria for addiction but still tax other service systems because of their harmful levels of substance use.

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Clinical supervision is undergoing a facelift, with the widespread application of the Internet to traditional face-to-face supervision and training. At the 2009 Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference, online teaching, counseling and supervision were key topics of interest, with 46 sessions focusing on various aspects of technology.

Clearly, the substance abuse field cannot ignore the influence of web-based technology and how best to use the Internet to enhance education, training and supervision. The key will be how to use the tools offered through technology without giving up quality.

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Purple Hearts for PTSD: Report Calls for Change in Military Culture; Outlines Mental Health

Needs of Veterans

The report calls for Purple Heart medals to be awarded for psychological wounds like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and for military commanders at all levels to be accountable for suicide prevention and elimination of stigma.

"NAMI is drawing a line in the sand with the Department of Defense," said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick. "Troops with invisible wounds are heroes. It's time to honor them. It will also strike a tremendous blow against the stigma that often discourages individuals from seeking help when they need it."

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SAMHSA is accepting applications for up to $3.6 million in

Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Electronic Health Record Integration and Interoperability grants

The program improves the real time access to prescription drug monitoring data by integrating existing technologies like electronic health records – thereby helping reduce prescription drug abuse.  It will also strengthen state prescription drug monitoring programs by providing resources to increase their interoperability The grant program will be complemented by an evaluation program conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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