Regulatory

Beginning in 2010, Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) that serve Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions must meet new guidelines issued Nov. 13, 2008 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report defines those chronic conditions as being medically complex, substantially disabling or life threatening, having a high risk of hospitalization or other adverse outcomes, and requiring a specialized delivery system across domains of care. Among the 15 clinical conditions mentioned in the report were chronic alcohol and other drug dependence and dementia. Full Story

Legislative

In the first of an expected avalanche of post-election regulations, the Bush administration on Nov. 7 narrowed the scope of services that can be provided to poor people under Medicaid's outpatient hospital benefit, reported the New York Times on the Web. Full Story The final rule does not apply to free standing clinics and therefore most community-based behavioral health organizations are not affected by this new rule, according to the National Council.

Policy

The blog at Change.gov has received a large number of reader comments on a recent community discussion on health care. Members of the Health Care Transition team, including former Senator Tom Daschle, were eager to dig in to the comments and find out more about the issues and concerns that drove the community conversation online. Click here to see a video of what they had to say and read the comments.

The Bazelon Center has prepared a series of issue briefs on critical areas affecting the integration of mental health services in healthcare reform. The briefs can be accessed as pdf files by clicking here.

Issues & Events

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and AACN are pleased to issue the second Call for Proposals for the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. This groundbreaking program is designed to alleviate the nation's nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated baccalaureate and master's nursing programs. Scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be awarded to 500 entry-level nursing students through this second round of funding. Preference will be given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from a disadvantaged background. Schools of nursing are invited to apply for funding for scholarship monies to be distributed to students that meet the award criteria. Click here for more information. Proposals must be received by January 21, 2009. Two Web conferences for schools interested in applying for funding are scheduled for December 15, 2008 at 2pm EST and January 5, 2009 at 1 pm EST. To register for a Web conference, please contact Alexa Tehansky at atehansky@aacn.nche.edu.

Federal authorities report that about 1.4 million hospitalizations in 2006 involved patients who were admitted for a mental illness. Additionally, another 7.1 million patients had a mental disorder in addition to the physical condition for which they were admitted. The 8.5 million hospitalizations involving patients with mental illness represented about 22% of the overall 39.5 million hospitalizations in 2006, reported Psych Central. Full Story

Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25% of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment. Full Story

Advance for LPNs discusses psychiatric nursing in its Understanding Human Behavior feature. Full Story

The National Council for the Mental Health First Aid Instructor Certification Course set for January 26-30 at the Sheraton Crescent in Phoenix, AZ. Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training course designed to give members of the public key skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it makes people feel more comfortable managing a crisis situation and builds mental health literacy — helping the public identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness. Full Story

APNA News

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is seeking reviewers for abstracts submitted for the 23rd Annual Conference in Charleston, SC, October 7-10, 2009. Criteria for selection include current APNA membership and evidence of clinical and/or research expertise and scholarship. Individuals with generalist or advanced practice preparation are encouraged to apply. Click here for more information.

The American Psychiatric Nursing Foundation is pleased to continue the research grants program to enhance scientific contributions advancing the knowledge and practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing. APNF will award up to five (5) individual grants of up to $5,000 per award. The deadline for submissions is February 16, 2009. Click here for details.

The 2009 APNA Conference Committee invites you to submit an abstract to be considered for presentation at the 23rd Annual Conference in Charleston, SC, October 7-10, 2009. Click here for details.