WASHINGTON -- New regulations requiring private group health insurance plans to offer benefits for treatment of substance abuse disorders that are comparable to benefits for other illnesses will help remove a barrier to treatment for millions of Americans, National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Gil Kerlikowske said today.
The rules, issued January 29th by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury, are expected to be finalized in the spring. They will take effect for plan years beginning on or after July 1, 2010. The rules prohibit group health insurance plans – typically offered by employers – from restricting access to care for mental health or substance use disorders by limiting benefits and requiring higher patient costs than those that apply to general medical or surgical benefits.
The rules begin to implement the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. The law applies to employers with 50 or more workers whose group health plans offer mental health or substance use disorder benefits.
"These regulations build on the excellent work of the Congress and will make critically needed services available to the millions of Americans who are struggling with addiction," said Director Kerlikowske.
Director Kerlikowske also said that the new law should help close the "treatment gap". In 2008, 23.1 million Americans age 12 and older met the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse problems or dependence. However, only 2.3 million received treatment at a specialty treatment center. One reason for the gap is that insurance coverage for such care is often minimal, said Kerlikowske.
Studies have shown that substance abusers incur higher medical costs than those who are receiving treatment for abuse. Major costs include emergency room visits and hospitalization. Families of untreated substance abusers also have higher medical costs than families of those who are getting treatment, according to a study. Other studies show that evidence-based treatments for substance dependence reduce medical costs significantly.
ONDCP Deputy Director A. Thomas McLellan commented that "the parity law and these regulations codify what we have long-known to be true: Addiction is a chronic illness that should be covered by insurance under the same terms as other chronic illnesses. This opens another pathway to recovery for countless Americans who have a drug or alcohol problem."
The interim final rules were developed based on the three departments’ review of public comments. Further comments are being solicited during a 90-day period following publication of the interim rules.
(Courtesy : www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov)
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Friday, February 5, 2010
National Guidelines for Dementia Care developed
A team from the University of Bradford has worked with the British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop the first ever guidelines for Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). Bradford Dementia Group, part of the University¿s School of Health Studies, launched the guidelines this week.
(Media-Newswire.com) - A team from the University of Bradford has worked with the British Standards Institute ( BSI ) to develop the first ever guidelines for Dementia Care Mapping ( DCM ). Bradford Dementia Group, part of the University¿s School of Health Studies, launched the guidelines this week.
A team from the University of Bradford has worked with the British Standards Institute ( BSI ) to develop the first ever guidelines for Dementia Care Mapping ( DCM ). Bradford Dementia Group, part of the University¿s School of Health Studies, launched the guidelines this week.
This Publicly Available Specification, titled PAS 800, 'Use of Dementia Care Mapping for improved person-centred care in a care provider organization - Guide', sets out the guidelines and benefits for care organisations who use the DCM tool to improve the quality of dementia care services they provide. These are the first such guidelines in dementia care in the UK and involved an intensive period of writing and review for its development.
Bradford Dementia Group has worked in partnership with BSI and a panel of healthcare experts in the UK to bring about this ground-breaking publication. It is hoped that this publication will increase knowledge and use of this tool as it provides very clear guidance on how organisations can improve quality and get the most out of the DCM tool.
Interest in the DCM tool has grown nationally and internationally. DCM was developed by Bradford Dementia Group and this year celebrates its 18th birthday. It is a method for improving care practice for people with dementia. Taking the view of the person with dementia, DCM helps staff teams to develop person-centred practice and to improve care for residents.
Head of Training and Practice Development, at Bradford Dementia Group, Paul Edwards said: "Bradford Dementia Group's mission is to make real world change in dementia care. These guidelines are a great example of transferring knowledge into practice. The group firmly believes that people with dementia and those who care for them should be afforded high standards of dementia care, and this publication aims to make these a reality.
"We are thrilled with the publication of this work. It is the culmination of many months of hard work. We can make improvements in the quality of dementia care and this document demonstrates how organisations can use DCM to bring about improvements in quality. In a world where services afforded to people with dementia still fall short of the mark, organisations need information on how they can improve.
"I hope PAS 800 provides clear guidelines for the use of DCM and puts dementia care firmly on the quality standards agenda where it should rightly be."
The work of Bradford Dementia Group was recently highlighted on the BBC Two documentary 'Can Gerry fix Dementia Care?'. They were asked to take part because of their unrivalled expertise and experience in this area. After a review of the quality of care in a failing home, Paul Edwards from Bradford Dementia Group introduced DCM to staff at the care home and trained them how to use it successfully.
(Courtesy : http://media-newswire.com/release_1111825.html)
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(Media-Newswire.com) - A team from the University of Bradford has worked with the British Standards Institute ( BSI ) to develop the first ever guidelines for Dementia Care Mapping ( DCM ). Bradford Dementia Group, part of the University¿s School of Health Studies, launched the guidelines this week.
A team from the University of Bradford has worked with the British Standards Institute ( BSI ) to develop the first ever guidelines for Dementia Care Mapping ( DCM ). Bradford Dementia Group, part of the University¿s School of Health Studies, launched the guidelines this week.
This Publicly Available Specification, titled PAS 800, 'Use of Dementia Care Mapping for improved person-centred care in a care provider organization - Guide', sets out the guidelines and benefits for care organisations who use the DCM tool to improve the quality of dementia care services they provide. These are the first such guidelines in dementia care in the UK and involved an intensive period of writing and review for its development.
Bradford Dementia Group has worked in partnership with BSI and a panel of healthcare experts in the UK to bring about this ground-breaking publication. It is hoped that this publication will increase knowledge and use of this tool as it provides very clear guidance on how organisations can improve quality and get the most out of the DCM tool.
Interest in the DCM tool has grown nationally and internationally. DCM was developed by Bradford Dementia Group and this year celebrates its 18th birthday. It is a method for improving care practice for people with dementia. Taking the view of the person with dementia, DCM helps staff teams to develop person-centred practice and to improve care for residents.
Head of Training and Practice Development, at Bradford Dementia Group, Paul Edwards said: "Bradford Dementia Group's mission is to make real world change in dementia care. These guidelines are a great example of transferring knowledge into practice. The group firmly believes that people with dementia and those who care for them should be afforded high standards of dementia care, and this publication aims to make these a reality.
"We are thrilled with the publication of this work. It is the culmination of many months of hard work. We can make improvements in the quality of dementia care and this document demonstrates how organisations can use DCM to bring about improvements in quality. In a world where services afforded to people with dementia still fall short of the mark, organisations need information on how they can improve.
"I hope PAS 800 provides clear guidelines for the use of DCM and puts dementia care firmly on the quality standards agenda where it should rightly be."
The work of Bradford Dementia Group was recently highlighted on the BBC Two documentary 'Can Gerry fix Dementia Care?'. They were asked to take part because of their unrivalled expertise and experience in this area. After a review of the quality of care in a failing home, Paul Edwards from Bradford Dementia Group introduced DCM to staff at the care home and trained them how to use it successfully.
(Courtesy : http://media-newswire.com/release_1111825.html)
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Innovation is the key to removing human suffering: Bill Gates
By IANS,
Los Angeles : Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Monday that innovation will remain the key to alleviating human suffering around the world.
He was speaking in his second open appraisal letter of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Set up in 1994, the foundation has so made more than $21 billion in grants to various charity and human causes. It sponsors programmes in the third world to combat poverty, hunger, and disease, including HIV. In the US it supports innovations in the education system.
The foundation's endowment is currently valued at $34.17 billion.
In the second annual letter, which is his personal appraisal of the foundation's efforts and its priorities, Gates said in these tough economic times, innovation and strong partners on behalf of the world's poorest people would be vital in improving the lives of people.
"Although innovation is unpredictable, there is a lot that governments, private companies, and foundations can do to accelerate it,'' the world's richest man said.
"Rich governments need to spend more on research and development, for instance, and we need better measurement systems in health and education to determine what works,'' Gates said.
Thanks to the innovations by the foundation, Gates said new vaccines are preventing disease in children around the world.
New tools are aiding in the fight against malaria and HIV, and improved seeds and farming techniques are increasing agricultural productivity, he added.
In the US, he said, innovations by the foundation are helping educators improve teaching and learning methods to prepare high school students for success and post-secondary degrees.
The foundation supports projects with timeframes of up to 15 years to alleviate the human suffering.
Bill and his wife Melinda are the co-chairpersons of the world's richest foundation.
(Courtesy : http://twocircles.net/2010jan26/innovation_key_removing_human_suffering_bill_gates.html)
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Los Angeles : Microsoft founder Bill Gates said Monday that innovation will remain the key to alleviating human suffering around the world.
He was speaking in his second open appraisal letter of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Set up in 1994, the foundation has so made more than $21 billion in grants to various charity and human causes. It sponsors programmes in the third world to combat poverty, hunger, and disease, including HIV. In the US it supports innovations in the education system.
The foundation's endowment is currently valued at $34.17 billion.
In the second annual letter, which is his personal appraisal of the foundation's efforts and its priorities, Gates said in these tough economic times, innovation and strong partners on behalf of the world's poorest people would be vital in improving the lives of people.
"Although innovation is unpredictable, there is a lot that governments, private companies, and foundations can do to accelerate it,'' the world's richest man said.
"Rich governments need to spend more on research and development, for instance, and we need better measurement systems in health and education to determine what works,'' Gates said.
Thanks to the innovations by the foundation, Gates said new vaccines are preventing disease in children around the world.
New tools are aiding in the fight against malaria and HIV, and improved seeds and farming techniques are increasing agricultural productivity, he added.
In the US, he said, innovations by the foundation are helping educators improve teaching and learning methods to prepare high school students for success and post-secondary degrees.
The foundation supports projects with timeframes of up to 15 years to alleviate the human suffering.
Bill and his wife Melinda are the co-chairpersons of the world's richest foundation.
(Courtesy : http://twocircles.net/2010jan26/innovation_key_removing_human_suffering_bill_gates.html)
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