ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. INVOLUNTARY OUTPATIENT COMMITMENT RFP ISSUED
2. N.J. OWES FEDS $145 MILLION DUE TO MEDICAID MISMANAGEMENT
3. $1B RISPERDAL MARKETING SUIT HITS TEXAS COURT
4. TELEPSYCHIATRY - USED AS SOLUTION FOR STAFFING PROBLEMS
5. GINGRICH GETS TEARY RECALLING MOTHER
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INVOLUNTARY OUTPATIENT COMMITMENT RFP ISSUED
The Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services today issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) for agencies to provide involuntary outpatient commitment (IOC) programs in up to seven counties chosen for the first year of implementation. Successful applicants will be required to provide a comprehensive outpatient service, coordination and referral system that addresses the needs of individuals committed to outpatient treatment.
The clear intent of the law that establishes IOC is to provide a new option: supervision in the community for a class of consumers that the legislature agreed was not well-served without this law. This population comprises those who are not willing to receive treatment voluntarily and will become, in the foreseeable future, dangerous enough because of a mental illness to require supervision, but who are not so imminently dangerous that they need to be physically confined in an inpatient program.
Annualized funding of up to $2 million is available through this RFP to competitively award one or more IOC programs in up to seven counties during the first year of implementation. It is expected that the provider of these services will generate income from third party entities such as Medicaid and private insurance. One-time funds are available to support necessary equipment, supplies, and other related start-up costs.
Read the full RFP
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/providers/grants/rfprfi/RFPfiles/RFP%20-%20IOC.pdf
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N.J. OWES FEDS $145 MILLION DUE TO MEDICAID MISMANAGEMENT
The state owes $145 million to the federal government after improperly overseeing Medicaid's patient-care services, according to a federal audit released Wednesday.
That claim comes on top of another $85 million the federal government is trying to recoup from the state-administered program. In November, the federal health department’s inspector general’s office released another audit saying New Jersey may have improperly billed $35 million for mental health services since 2005.
Go to the Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/01/audit_nj_owes_feds_145_million.html
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TELEPSYCHIATRY - USED AS SOLUTION FOR STAFFING PROBLEMS
As the ranks of psychiatrists dwindle, hospitals statewide are turning to telepsychiatry to screen emergency room patients during off-hours — weekday nights and weekends. Not because they want to, they say, but because it is the only way to get the job done.
Of the 21 state-designated mental health screening centers in New Jersey — one in each county — 10 use telepsych services now, according to the state Department of Human Services.
Read more:
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20120112/NJNEWS10/301120035/Telepsychiatry-psych-evaluations-on-video-chat-used-as-solution-for-staffing-problems
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$1B RISPERDAL MARKETING SUIT HITS TEXAS COURT
As Johnson & Johnson negotiates its Risperdal marketing settlement with the feds, it's going to court in Texas today to fight $1 billion in potential damages. The whistleblower lawsuit, joined by the state, alleges J&J employed a variety of inappropriate marketing tactics, leading the Texas Medicaid program to overpay for the antipsychotic drug.
J&J denies any wrongdoing, a spokeswoman told Bloomberg: "We are committed to ethical business practices, and have policies in place to ensure that our products are only promoted for their FDA-approved indication."
see more:
http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/1b-risperdal-marketing-suit-hits-texas-court/2012-01-09
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GINGRICH GETS TEARY RECALLING MOTHER
Newt Gingrich choked up and wiped away tears yesterday while recalling his late mother’s struggle with depression and mental illness. Speaking at an event with mothers, the former House speaker said his focus on brain science issues stems directly from “dealing with the real problems of real people in my family.’’
“And so it’s not a theory. It’s, in fact, my mother,’’ he said as he wiped away tears.
See the Boston Globe article:
http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-31/politics/30573480_1_mitt-romney-tax-returns-new-hampshire
