The effectiveness of current and future clinical quality measures will be determined largely by the ongoing support of specialty registries, such as the APA-sponsored PsychPRO. APA was excited to promote its psychiatry-focused patient data registry during this year’s annual meeting, and many organizations, providers, and vendors were enthusiastic to get on board—including Valant. To learn…
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Why technology and data matter in a value-based world The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has created a psychiatry-focused patient data registry for its membership and other behavioral healthcare providers. The APA will be promoting this newly created Specialized Registry at their upcoming annual meeting in San Diego later this month. And if you’re wondering what…
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The first reporting year for MACRA is well underway at this point, yet a number of rules introduced during the legislation’s rollout have yet to be finalized. CMS typically reserves the right to revise certain aspects of its published guidance as large-scale programs unfold and opportunities for improvement arise. According to healthcare intelligence firm Leavitt…
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April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Though alcohol can be used responsibly and is a significant facet of American culture, alcoholism is pervasive and destructive of individuals, families, and entire communities. Alcoholism can affect every aspect of a person’s life, including physical and emotional health, finances, and relationships, and is a much larger problem than many…
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A quick breakdown of the first draft of the bill Earlier this month the House of Representatives laid out the initial draft of the American Health Care Act (AHCA). If approved, the much-anticipated legislation will repeal and replace several key aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted by the incumbent Obama administration. Though the…
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An unprecedented analysis of the nature of substance abuse disorder The surgeon general recently published a report on the state of substance use disorders, and it arrives at a time when more people suffer from addiction now than from all forms of cancer combined. The report provides a much needed perspective on the nature of…
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In 2015, President Obama signed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) into law. The legislative support for the bill’s passing was overwhelmingly bipartisan, indicating its significance in the effort to reform health care in the United States. Changes are coming that will affect the dynamics of Medicare reporting and reimbursement in behavioral health….
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What the 90% federal match of funds might mean for you or your organization The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a guidance memo in February 2016 revising the scope of federal incentives under the Meaningful Use (MU) program. The memo supersedes that of the previous guidelines published in 2013, and is…
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Four big takeaways from the I-STOP delays in New York State The state of New York’s Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescription program (I-STOP) is designed to transition prescribers and pharmacies into eRx software to reduce prescription drug abuse. The program mandates for prescribers to query a patient database and submit prescriptions of controlled substances electronically,…
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Eligible Providers interested in obtaining CMS incentives and/or avoiding the penalties have been following Meaningful Use guidelines since the program’s inception in 2011. Due to the fickle nature of the program attributed to debate and feedback from invested parties, not to mention its lack of specificity to mental health, EPs have had to pay close…
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