ARIZONA PSYCHIATRY SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER SPECIAL EDITION
September 2019
We compile this special edition to: update you on parity efforts in Arizona, including a Call for Stories from you and/or your patients and their families; share resources and information on parity; and make a call to action to support federal parity enforcement legislation. Timely event and CME information, including a save the date for the 2020 Annual Meeting are also included here for your convenience.
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Click the Council logo above to access the Call for Stories SurveyMonkey |
PARITY IN ARIZONA: Call for Mental Health Stories
Arizona Coalition for Insurance Parity - Call for Mental Health Stories
Have you or someone you know been denied coverage for mental health or substance use disorder treatment in the state of Arizona? If so, the Arizona Coalition for Insurance Parity wants to hear from you and/or the patients you serve.
The Arizona Coalition for Insurance Parity is collaboration between the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers, JEM Foundation, Mental Health America of Arizona, MIKID, and the Neighbors Council. The Arizona Psychiatric Society and the Arizona Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention are also local partners. Together, we are working to ensure that Arizonans are able to easily access appropriate and timely mental health and substance use disorder treatment through their medical insurance.
Please fill out this survey if you, or someone you know, has been unable to access needed behavioral health services or had a claim denied for mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment. The information you provide will help us to shape public policy and influence legislation in order to move us towards full parity implementation and mental health equity.
By completing this survey you are acknowledging that your information is being collected to help understand the current trends and circumstances surrounding mental health and substance use disorder treatment claim denials in Arizona. All information you provide will be kept confidential, and any identifiable information you choose to provide will not be shared without your permission.
The link to complete the survey electronically is:
Or CLICK HERE for a printable paper copy of the survey. The completed paper
copy of the survey
can be returned to Amy Meyertholen at
amy@azcouncil.com
or faxed to 602.252.8664.
Please share this Call for Stories widely with your friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, and others. Call the Council at 602.252.9363 if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you again for for all that you do everyday to make the world a better place.
Together we can and do make a difference.
Parity Resources and Updates for Patients and Providers
For more information from the APA on parity, including a downloadable poster detailing a patient's rights under parity and information on how to file a complaint, CLICK HERE.
The Kennedy Forum has also developed a website resource for patients and families to help them better understand their rights under parity. Insurer violations of mental health parity laws can take many forms, including placing limits on how long and how often patients can receive care, providing insufficient networks of mental health providers, and more.
Most people are unaware that a parity violation has even occurred. If patients know what to watch out for, they are better equipped to assert their rights. CLICK HERE for a flyer with information about how you, as a provider, can help equip your patients with information on parity and patient rights to mental health and addiction treatment.
UBH Decision (CA) Supports Parity Enforcement
In David Witt, et al. v. United Behavioral Health, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California found that UBH/Optum illegally denied mental health and substance use coverage based on flawed medical necessity criteria. For more information on this landmark parity decision, including a link to the full decision, visit the Psych News article.
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| Premium Corporate Sponsor 2019-2020 |
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 MAKE MENTAL HEALTH PARITY A REALITY
You know that our patients seeking MH/SUD services are still more likely to:
* Experience delays or denials of care because mental health care treatment plans are more strictly reviewed than other medical care.
* Have less access to providers who can treat them because mental health provider networks are more narrow than other provider networks.
* Not get the care they need because medically necessary and clinically appropriate treatments for common mental disorders are more likely to be excluded from coverage that similar treatments of other medical conditions.
An estimated 44 million adults are in need of mental health services. When mental health access and coverage are restricted it can have dire consequences for patients and lead to suicides, overdoses and other forms of preventable death or injury. Help pass the Mental Health Parity Compliance Act today!
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| Premium Corporate Sponsor 2019-2020 |
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CME AND LOCAL EVENTS: APA FREE CME FOR SEPTEMBER; BANNER UMC PHX DEPT OF PSYCHIATRY GRAND ROUNDS 2019
1. The Department is introducing another means for signing in: QR Code. This app is already on most Apple products and may need to be downloaded for free on Android phones (QR Scanner). It will be available on the screen and hardcopy (for the moment). The Department will still have the paper sign-in sheet as a backup that may eventually go away as it moves closer to a paperless process.
2. Skyping in some faculty members assigned to the Phoenix VA HCS. You will see the indication on the screen in the Amphitheater.
3. Most of the presentations will be recorded for residents who are not able to attend in person.
4. The Department will still offer the Survey Monkey that will be emailed 2X per year by its CME department. The idea being: by attending these series of Grand Rounds presentations, your practice will be improved and hopefully providing better service to your patients and their families. For any questions regarding these Grand Rounds, please contact
Lorin Akers, MS/HRM, Psychiatry Clerkship Coordinator.
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Allied World Risk Management Healthcare Webinar, "The Opioid Epidemic in 2019: How Can Risk Management Prevent/Reduce Drug-Related Harm," Thursday, September 19, 2019, 2:00 to 3:00 pm ET (click here for printable flyer). |
 FREE ONLINE ARIZONA OPIOID PRESCRIBER EDUCATION
The Arizona Opioid Prescriber Education program is a free online continuing medical education (CME) program for health care professionals that provides the latest information about Arizona's opioid laws and regulations, prescribing guidelines and treatment options for opioid use disorder. The education modules are accredited for all types of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists and satisfy the license renewal three-hour CME requirements in Arizona law.
Visit www.AzRxEd.org.
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 SAVE THE DATE: ARIZONA PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY 2020 ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, May 9, 2020 - Wild Horse Pass Conference Center, Chandler, Arizona
The date is set and the Education Committee is making plans for the content of the 2020 Annual Meeting. If you have a specific topic that your practice needs met, we would love to have that feedback. Contact teri@azmed.org with your input.
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