Behavioral Health News & Events
Volume 2, Issue 2 | April 2014
National Council Applauds Inclusion of Excellence
Act In Medicare “Doc Fix”
$900 Million Dedicated to Mental Health Services
Congressional negotiators released a final Medicare SGR Repeal bill
that includes $900 million to fund the bipartisan Excellence in Mental
Health Act. The Excellence Act, sponsored by Senators Stabenow (DMI) and Blunt (R-MO) along with Representatives Matsui (D-CA) and
Lance (R-NJ), would improve quality and expand access to mental
health care and substance use treatment through community
behavioral health clinics. The legislation would establish a two year
demonstration program in eight states to offer a broad range of
mental health and substance abuse services like 24-hour crisis
psychiatric services while setting new high standards for providers.
The legislation now moves to both chambers for consideration.
“After decades of devastating state and federal budget cuts, the time
has come to reinvest in mental health and substance abuse services.
The Excellence Act does just that.” said Linda Rosenberg, President
and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health. “As many as
240,000 people will be able to receive critical mental and behavioral
health services as a result of Excellence Act funding. When people
receive the quality mental health and substance abuse services they
need, the benefits of treatment extend far beyond the individual – to
their families, their professional colleagues and their community at
large. We are all better off when quality mental health and substance
abuse services are available. This is an historic day and it would not
have been possible without the tireless work of Senator Debbie
Stabenow and the bill’s bipartisan sponsors.”
The National Council for Behavioral Health has long been a champion
of the Excellence Act, which expands access to evidenced-based
community health care for children and adults with serious and
persistent mental illnesses. If enacted, the legislation will reduce high
hospital emergency room utilization among persons living with
behavioral health conditions while easing the burden on hard-pressed
law enforcement agencies in urban and rural areas. Additionally, the
Excellence Act demonstration will assist the Veterans Administration
(VA) with serving the young men and women returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan with service connected mental disorders including clinical
depression and PTSD.
Heather Cobb 202 684-7457 ext. 277 [email protected]
The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America’s community
mental health and addictions treatment organizations. Together with their 2,000 member
organizations, they serve our nation’s most vulnerable citizens — the more than 8 million
adults and children living with mental illnesses and addiction disorders. They are
committed to ensuring all Americans have access to comprehensive, high-quality care that
affords every opportunity for recovery and full participation in community life. The
National Council pioneered Mental Health First Aid in the U.S. and has trained nearly
150,000 individuals to connect youth and adults in need to mental health and addictions
care in their communities. Learn more at www.TheNationalCouncil.org.
House Passes Medicare Bill Including Excellence Act
The House voted to pass a compromise Medicare physician
payment bill (H.R. 4302) that includes an 8-state demonstration
program based on the bipartisan Excellence in Mental Health Act.
The bill will now moves to the Senate for consideration.
The Excellence Act, sponsored by Senators Debbie Stabenow (DMI) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) along with Representatives Doris Matsui
(D-CA) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ), would improve quality and
expand access to substance use treatment and mental health care
through community behavioral health clinics. The legislation
would establish a two year demonstration program in eight states
to offer a broad range of substance abuse and mental health
services like 24-hour crisis psychiatric services while setting new
high standards for providers. The eight states would be identified
through a selection process to be defined in future rulemaking.
HHS Releases Security Risk Assessment Tool to Help
Providers with HIPAA Compliance
A new security risk assessment (SRA) tool to help guide health care
providers in small to medium sized offices conduct risk assessments of
their organizations is now available from HHS.
The SRA tool is the result of a collaborative effort by the HHS Office of
the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)
and Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The tool is designed to help practices
conduct and document a risk assessment in a thorough, organized
fashion at their own pace by allowing them to assess the information
security risks in their organizations under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. The
application, available for downloading at www.HealthIT.gov/securityrisk-assessment also produces a report that can be provided to
auditors.
HIPAA requires organizations that handle protected health
information to regularly review the administrative, physical and
technical safeguards they have in place to protect the security of the
information. By conducting these risk assessments, health care
providers can uncover potential weaknesses in their security policies,
processes and systems. Risk assessments also help providers address
vulnerabilities, potentially preventing health data breaches or other
adverse security events. A vigorous risk assessment process supports
improved security of patient health data.
Conducting a security risk assessment is a key requirement of the
HIPAA Security Rule and a core requirement for providers seeking
payment thro ՝