ANNOUNCEMENTS

Hospital Stays Related to Mental Health, 2006 (HCUP Statistical Brief #62)
[posted: 11/13/08]

Of interest to C-L/PM psychiatrists is the October 2008 Statistical Brief #62 published by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). Highlights from the brief:

• One out of every 5 hospital stays (21.3 percent) had either a principal or secondary diagnosis of a mental health condition.
• In 2006, 8.4 million stays involved a diagnosis of mental illness—1.4 million hospital stays had a principal mental health condition and an additional 7.1 million stays had mental illness as a secondary diagnosis.
• Medicare and Medicaid were the expected payers for 6 out of every 10 mental health stays while private insurance paid for slightly more than 2 out of 10 of these stays. Slightly less than 1 out of every 10 stays with a principal mental health diagnosis was uninsured.
• Rates of mental health hospitalizations were twice as high in the Northeast as in the West.
• Average length of stay for hospitalizations principally for mental health was greater than for all stays (8.2 days versus 4.6 days, respectively).
• Mood disorders and schizophrenia were the most common reasons for mental health hospital stays—responsible for 82 percent of all mental health hospitalizations.
• Mood disorders were the most common principal diagnoses for the non-elderly; for those 65 and over, dementia and related disorders were the most common.

HCUP offers Statistical Brief #62 in both HTML format as well as a PDF download:

Web (HTML) Format             PDF

Action paper addresses psychiatric care of primary care patients
[posted: 2/28/08]

The Academy has been working closely with the APA Council on Psychosomatic Medicine (COPM) to encourage the APA to prioritize the need to address psychiatric care of patients in primary care and other medical settings. The Washington Psychiatric Society has developed an action paper that will be presented to the May 2008 APA Assembly. The paper explains the issue and calls upon the APA to begin to take steps toward that goal. Thomas N. Wise, MD, FAPM (chair of the COPM) and Carol L. Alter, MD, FAPM (APM president-elect and a member of the COPM) are co-authors with other key APA leaders. The action paper has been approved by the Area III Council. The text of the action paper can found here.

The action paper is an important step in improving mental health care for all patients—especially those patients you care for. You are encouraged to speak to the APA Assembly representative from your area and make sure that they vote to support the paper.

• Washington Psychiatric Society Action Paper (2-24-08)

Fentanyl Transdermal System: Updated information on appropriate prescribing, dose selection, and safe use
[posted here: 12/26/07; FDA MedWatch safety alert: 12/21/07]

FDA issued an update that highlights important information on appropriate prescribing, dose selection, and the safe use of the fentanyl transdermal system (patch). FDA previously issued a Public Health Advisory and Information for Healthcare Professionals in July 2005 regarding the appropriate and safe use of the transdermal system. However, the Agency continues to receive reports of death and life-threatening adverse events related to fentanyl overdose that have occurred when the fentanyl patch was used to treat pain in opioid-naive patients and when opioid-tolerant patients have applied more patches than prescribed, changed the patch too frequently, and exposed the patch to a heat source. The fentanyl patch is only indicated for use in patients with persistent, moderate to severe chronic pain who have been taking a regular, daily, around-the-clock narcotic pain medicine for longer than a week and are considered to be opioid-tolerant.

Patients must avoid exposing the patch to excessive heat as this promotes the release of fentanyl from the patch and increases the absorption of fentanyl through the skin which can result in fatal overdose. Directions for prescribing and using the fentanyl patch must be followed exactly to prevent death or other serious side effects from fentanyl overdose.

• Public Health Advisory (FDA 12/21/07)
• Information for Healthcare Professionals (FDA 12/21/07)

NIH offers grants for interdisciplinary critical care research
[posted: 3/5/07; expiration: 2/6/10]

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced grant opportunities to encourage interdisciplinary, investigator-initiated translational research in critical care. Through this grant, the NIH seeks to improve the treatment, diagnosis, and outcome of patients with critical illness and increase the understanding of fundamental processes causing critical illness. Applications will be accepted beginning April 5, 2007, and the grant is available to research teams with scientists from at least two medical or surgical specialties with direct relevance to critical care. Applications that focus on the care of special patient groups (e.g., children, elderly, and emergency room patients) should include appropriate expertise in the medical management of these patients.

The practice of critical care is complex, multidisciplinary and multiprofessional. Critical care services are major contributors to healthcare costs in the United States, and patients older than age 65 account for approximately half of all intensive care unit (ICU) admissions. This patient population is expected to double within the next 30 years, putting increased demands on the system. More research is needed on the long-term effects of ICU stays, pediatric critical care, and neurological critical care. All these issues highlight the importance of this grant opportunity.

For more information on the Multidisciplinary Translational Research in Critical Care grant, click here

APPI and PsychiatryOnline offer discounts to APM members
[posted: 9/29/06; updated 2/17/09 with increased discounts]

American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. (APPI), publishers of our journal, Psychosomatics, is offering to APM members a 30% discount on any book or journal ordered from www.appi.org.

PsychiatryOnline offers electronic versions of APPI books and journals and offers a 20% discount to APM members on DSM and DSM Premium Plus subscriptions at www.PsychiatryOnline.com.

For instructions on how to obtain the discount, see the Members Corner.

HINARI journal access available to non-profits in developing countries

The Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI), sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, provides free or very low-cost online access to over 3000 major journals (including Psychosomatics and General Hospital Psychiatry) in biomedical and related social sciences to local, not-for-profit institutions in over 100 developing countries.

Visit the HINARI site for eligible countries, journals available, list of institutions already registered, and more information.