Behavioral Health Information Technology Coalition
Senate Briefing on Behavioral Health Information Technology
July 20, 2011
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The Behavioral Health Information Technology Coalition – of which the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) is a member – drew a standing-room crowd for a July 2011 congressional briefing on the capacity of electronic health records (EHRs) to reduce mortality and morbidity among patients with mental and addictive disorders. NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall
moderated the event.
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Panelists included (from left to right):
• Moderator MarkCovall, president & CEO, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS);
• DennisKing, president, Maine Health Mental Health Partners; CEO, Spring Harbor Hospital, Westbrook, ME; and past president of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems;
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse – sponsor of S.539 – encourages advocacy
to win support for extension of IT funding to behavioral health.
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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) (left), who introduced S.539 (the Behavioral Health Information Technology Act) to extend health IT incentives to behavioral health, is welcomed to the briefing by moderator and NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall (right). Sen. Whitehouse is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Special Committee on Aging.
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A robust health infrastructure is an essential platform on which necessary – “and overdue” – reform will proceed, Sen. Whitehouse (at podium) said at the congressional briefing. If you are not part of this infrastructure, you are at a great disadvantage. Behavioral health advocates will need to “push hard” for legislation, he said.
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Electronic health records (EHRs) add to the public good, Sen. Whitehouse said, by helping to support prevention of illness, providing incentives for physicians to make people well (vs. just doing more
procedures), and by reducing adversarial arguments between insurers and providers (that add to the cost of care). Sen. Whitehouse thanked those present for their efforts to advance IT to behavioral health. He noted that for many patients seen in behavioral health settings, that behavioral health provider IS their primary care – making equal access to the health infrastructure essential for behavioral health.
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) Notes Value of IT to Improved Care
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Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) (left), a key presenter at the Senate briefing, is introduced by NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall (right). Rep. Murphy co-chairs the 21st Century Healthcare Caucus and Mental Health Caucus. He is also a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
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The cumbersome paper system is giving way the health electronic records,
Rep. Murphy told the briefing participants. We want to see a new system, he said, that is interoperable, interactive (with mental health and medicine), integrated (so disciplines can work together), and intelligent (prompting clinicians with ideas for their consideration). But there are still a number of hurdles. EHRs are not permanent, and they are not portable. Rep. Murphy noted that he and former Rep. Kennedy had looked for funding for behavioral
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Rep. Murphy (right) noted the value of building relationships between congressional leaders and
constituents. Here Rep. Murphy is shown with panelist and constituent Joseph F. Cvitkovic, Ph.D. (left), director of behavioral health care, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
NAPHS Board Member Dennis King describes challenges facing
providers and the need for enhanced federal funding for behavioral
health IT.
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NAPHS Board Member Dennis King delivered a presentation on “Integrated Mental Health Delivery in a Large System: Challenges and Opportunities.“ Mr. King is president, Maine Health Mental Health Partners; and CEO, Spring Harbor Hospital, Westbrook, ME. He thanked congressional leaders – including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who was an original sponsor of S.539 – for their efforts to extend health IT funding to behavioral health.
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As a large system, Maine Health includes many types of entities (including hospitals, CMHCs, 28 practices with mental health embedded, and more). “We have a patchwork of IT services, which makes for an unreliable system we are looking to correct.” While many entities within MaineHealth have access to Affordable Care Act stimulus money, behavioral health (along with some others such as home health) are not getting federal money. Yet this federal funding is essential to allow behavioral health to coordinate with the rest of the healthcare system.
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Dennis King visits with a fellow panelist at the congressional briefing: Joan Sivley (right), who is a board member of Centerstone Research Institute in Nashville, TN. Ms. Sivley spoke movingly of the challenges that she faced as the mother of son ultimately diagnosed with schizophrenia. Because of the lack of communication between treatment settings (resulting from lack of any type of electronic record), “each diagnosis was the first” as they went to each hospital, each ER, each physician. Behavioral health needs interoperable records tied to personal health records – just like those used by cardiologists and
The briefing drew attention from congressionaI staff and other
guests…
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BradGrantz, who works with Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), records the event.
…from Coalition partners…..
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National Council President Linda Rosenberg (left) visits with NAPHS Board Member Dennis King
(second from left), NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall, and NAPHS Director of Government Relations
Nancy Trenti, J.D. (right). The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare is a partner in the Behavioral Health IT Coalition, which hosted this congressional event.
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Ronald Manderscheid, Ph.D. (right), visits with NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall (left). Dr. Manderscheid is the executive director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, which is a Behavioral Health IT Coalition partner.
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Kevin Scalia (left), executive vice president, Netsmart Technologies, visits with Dennis King and Mark Covall.
…and from the media.
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Modern Healthcare’s Jessica Zigmond (right),D.C. bureau chief for Modern Healthcare, was among media representatives attending the event. Here she talks with NAPHS President/CEO Mark Covall.
Add your voice in support of behavioral health IT funding.
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