Adding an electroencephalography (EEG)-based biomarker to standard clinician judgement may improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reduce the likelihood of overdiagnosis, new research suggests. The Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) System uses electroencephalography to measure beta and theta waves. Previous studies have shown that the theta/beta ratio is increased in children and adolescents with ADHD, reported MedScape. Full Story

Antipsychotic drugs may increase the risk of premature death in dementia patients more than thought, a new study suggests. The medications are widely used to treat the delusions, hallucinations, agitation and aggression that occur in many people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that antipsychotic drugs have a significant risk of side effects, the study authors pointed out. For the new study, researchers examined data from nearly 91,000 U.S. veterans who were older than 65 and had dementia. Those who took antipsychotics were more likely to die early, the study found. Among those taking newer, more commonly used antipsychotics, the risk of premature death increased with the dose, reported HealthDay.com. Full Story

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working closely with all industry stakeholders to provide support in transitioning to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, 2015 and has issued a Fact Sheet about the transition. Click here for more information.

Together, leading funders of research in the U.S., Canada and U.K. are advancing a global funding initiative aimed at better understanding the similarities and differences between progressive brain-deteriorating diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, with an expanded partnership and increased funding. The new funding cycle will offer nearly $2 million for projects investigating the overlap in the biology and clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other brain-deteriorating diseases, which together affect tens of millions of people worldwide. Full Story

ANA’s Nursing Scope and Standards Revision Workgroup invites review and public comment on the draft Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Third Edition. Comments and recommendations are due by 5 p.m. ET April 6. Click here to access the document and submit comments.

The Joint Commission’s Nursing Care Center Accreditation Program announced that Chaparral House, a nonprofit skilled nursing facility in Berkeley, CA, is the first skilled nursing facility in the US to be awarded the organization’s Memory Care Certification. The Joint Commission began offering Memory Care Certification in July 2014 to recognize nursing homes that provide memory care services for patients and residents with dementia and other cognitive impairments. Full Story

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is accepting applications for Targeted Capacity Expansion: Medication Assisted Treatment-Prescription Drug Opioid Addiction (MAT-PDOA) grants totaling up to $33 million over three years. This program aims to provide funding to states to enhance/expand their treatment service systems to increase capacity and provide accessible, effective, comprehensive, coordinated care, and evidence-based medication assisted treatment (MAT) and recovery support services to individuals with opioid use disorders seeking or receiving MAT. Full Story

The call for abstracts for Australian College of Mental Health Nursing's 41st International Mental Health Nursing Conference, Mental health nurses: shifting culture, leading change, is now open. This Conference challenges speakers and delegates to get involved in the future of the profession; to consider and discuss how the profession can be moved forward, how nurses in the mental health sphere can move from the ‘bedside to the boardroom’. Click here for more information.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has voiced its support for the U.S. Supreme Court decision in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners vs. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in which the justices affirmed that state regulatory boards are not exempt from federal antitrust laws. On Wednesday, February 25, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a North Carolina dental regulatory board, made up mostly of dentists, does not have the authority to tell dental hygienists to stop offering teeth whitening services. The justices affirmed the FTC's previous stance that the dental board's actions constituted an illegal suppression of competition. According to AANP, the ruling helps ensure state regulatory boards protect the best interests of patients by limiting unnecessary, anticompetitive restrictions that impede access to care, increase costs and exacerbate delays. The group says the decision will also improve transparency surrounding health care regulatory processes, and encourage states to provide oversight to regulatory boards across the health care sector. Full Story

The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds Representatives Sam Graves (R-MO) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) for their leadership in introducing the “Improving Veterans Access to Care Act of 2015.”   The bill, H.R. 1247, allows Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who work in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities ‘full practice authority.’  Full practice authority means allowing APRNs to practice to the full extent of their education and training and provides a common-sense solution to the challenges associated with ensuring America’s veterans have access to high quality health care services. Full Story

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a bill that will give the advanced practice nurses their independence from doctors, reported StarHerald.com. Legislative Bill 107, introduced by State Sen. Sue Crawford of Bellevue, eliminates the current requirement for nurse practitioners to have a practice agreement with a doctor. Full Story

Pennsylvania State Representative Jesse Topper has introduced a bill that would allow certified nurse practitioners to treat patients  without having a business contract with two doctors, reported CentralPA.com. Full Story

NAPHS has published a new report, Addiction Treatment Today and Tomorrow: Implications and Policy Recommendations, to define the substance use disorder population and to appraise existing policies regarding the coverage, funding, and delivery of addiction treatment. Findings are based on a focused review of the relevant literature, as well as information gleaned from a series of informant interviews with clinical, policy, and other substance use experts. Full Story

Nationally, between 60% to 70% of kids in the juvenile justice system have a mental health disorder and roughly 90% have experienced at least one traumatic event, reported the The Las Cruces Sun-News. Experts from organizations such as the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators report that state facilities are now better equipped to work with the mental health population, but also caution that serious gaps remain. Front-line workers in many facilities are not trained to understand or respond appropriately, and there are still widespread reports of violence and maltreatment, which likely exacerbates underlying mental conditions. It is generally agreed that providing education to the staff, along with sound suicide prevention and less use of solitary confinement are solid markers to provide safe and appropriate treatment. Full Story

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American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.