Practice Management Insight

October 2012

A report on events affecting Oklahoma providers

October 1 – 31

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Board

October 1 – 31

National Bullying Prevention Month

PACER Center, Inc.

October 1 – 31

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

National Down Syndrome Society

October 1 – 31

Stop America’s Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Today

American Medical Association Alliance

October 1 – 31

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month

First Candle/SIDS Alliance

October 1

Child Health Day

Maternal and Child Health Bureau

October 4 – 7

Institute on Psychiatric Services

American Psychiatric Association

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October 7

Mental Illness Awareness Week

National Alliance on Mental Illness

October 8

Columbus Day

October 10

Behavioral Health Advisory Council Meeting

OHCA

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October 10

Drug Utilization Review Board Meeting

OHCA

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October 11

OHCA Board Meeting

OHCA

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October 11 – 12

Case Mgmt Training

OKC

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October 17 – 18

Institute for Behavioral Health Informatics

Open Minds

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October 25 – 26

Case Mgmt Training

Tulsa

More Information

October 25 – 26

SOAR Training

OKC

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October 31

Halloween

OCTOBER is …

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

National Physical Therapy

Month

National Medical Librarians Month

Stop American’s Violence

Everywhere Today

Sudden Death Syndrome

Awareness Month

Mental Illness Week

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New CPT Billing Codes Go Into Effect January 1

Health care law increases number of

mental and behavioral health providers

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new program, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, which will boost the number of social workers and psychologists who work with Americans in rural areas, military personnel, veterans, and their families.

Through the Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training grant program, $9.8 million is being awarded to 24 graduate social work and psychology schools and programs for three-year grants.

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Many young-adult programs lack skill building for long-term success

Full arsenal of treatments needed in pain management

Ninety-day treatment programs for young-adult addicts improve on the prior 30-day standards but still pose challenges, the CEO of Utah-based Ascend Recovery said in a breakout session at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) in Orlando, Fla.

There are many problems with current industry-wide treatment models, said Ryan Salter, LCSW. A six-month program featuring 90 days of treatment and 90 days of sober living often features little emphasis on reintegration into the community and inadequate support for developing skill sets for daily living.

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In much the same fashion as addiction, chronic pain manifests as a biopsychosocial illness that addiction treatment programs must approach with the utmost seriousness, Hanley Center’s director of medical research told a plenary session audience Oct. 1 at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) in Orlando, Fla.

Barbara Krantz outlined in her talk several non-addictive treatment alternatives that the abstinence-based Hanley Center employs for its patients dealing with pain.

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Doubts about Medicaid Expansion:

Practical or Political? (Part one)

No matter who wins the presidential election in November, state decisions about Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will remain firmly in state hands. But which hands? There are governors and there are state legislatures. Sometimes, they agree on their decision—pro or con—but often they do not.

While there appears to be a distinctly political, anti-Obamacare sentiment among many opponents, some opposition is also quite practical in nature. Some states are so different, so limited, or so far behind others in the ways that they manage Medicaid benefits and limits today that they can see that expanding Medicaid per the ACA—even with the federal government footing nearly all of the bill—will be a major undertaking.

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October Is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, a month-long observance that focuses on the role substance abuse prevention plays in promoting safe and healthy communities.

· An estimated 10 million people aged 12 to 20 report drinking alcohol during the past month.

· Approximately 23 million Americans—roughly the population of Australia—are current illicit drug users.

· Almost 18 million Americans are classified with alcohol dependence or abuse.

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October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month

Each year millions of children and youth experience the humiliation and devastating effects of bullying.

Bullying damages the physical, social, and emotional well-being of its victims. It also hurts the children who bully, as well as those who watch it happen. In fact, bullying creates a climate of fear, callousness, and disrespect for everyone involved.  SAMHSA is committed to reducing the impact of bullying and we will take this month to share information about bullying and its impact, and how everyone can and should play a part in taking action against bullying.

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Compulsive shoplifting:

More than just sticky fingers

Many people think of the term “shoplifting” to mean the act of taking something out of a store without paying for it.  While this is true, Terrence Daryl Shulman, JD, LMSW, ACSW, CAADC, CPC, explained to a group at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) that there are many other acts that can be considered shoplifting.

For example, switching price tags on items and fraudulent returns can fall under this umbrella.  Also, being dishonest or secretive because the cashier did not see something else in the cart but the customer did not speak up to let them know it was in there, is considered shoplifting, according to Shulman.

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