(CLOSED) Strategic 6: Health Information Technology, Electronic Health Records and Behavioral Health
This forum is closed.
The ideas and comments below are part of the feedback received during the development of SAMHSA’s Strategic Initiatives. The final document that reflects the input provided in these forums is available at: http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA11-4629.
Questions about this forum can be directed to newmedia@samhsa.hhs.gov
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Track undue influence of psychiatric drug companies. Research more non-drug psych. alternatives.
Key mental health consumer and psychiatric survivor leaders adopted the following statement, please support it now:
Bastille Day 2010 Statement – Rockville, MD
14 July 2010
The Urgent Necessity for More Non-Drug Alternatives in Mental Health Care
We are alarmed about the over-reliance on psychiatric medication in mental health care because of the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry. We see an urgent need for a far greater range of non-pharmaceutical mental health care.
We are participants in the USA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) meeting, “Past, Present, and Future: SAMHSA Efforts to Promote Consumer/Survivor Inclusion.” We…
181 votes -
76 votes
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68 votes
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68 votes
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records: Clients need right to REMOVE specious psych diagnoses
Many health care providers carelessly place psych diagnoses in clients' files without ascertaining if the criteria for these diagnoses are met. These diagnoses can greatly complicate future care. Clients should have the right to have such common false diagnoses removed if the clinician is unable to support them by demonstrating how DSM criteria is met.
56 votes -
Include family in behavioral/mental health treatments
With HIPAA laws in place, the family is excluded from treatment decisions. In most cases, it is the family that has to struggle to deal with mental health issues. More family involvement could help clinicians get a better picture of what they are trying to treat. A patient in crisis may not be able to sign a release of information form. A substance use disorder patient will not sign because they are afraid if a family member tells the truth, they could not continue to use. I have struggled with this for years.
45 votes -
Address discrimination resulting from sharing of MH/SA information
Your discussion in this area addresses privacy and confidentiality but fails to address the significant concern consumers have about how knowledge of their mental illness effects care. I have heard numerous stories of consumers having legitimate physical complaints discounted when a provider (most often in an ER setting) learns that the person has a mental illness.By and large consumers recognize the importance of having certain information (like medications) available to treating professionals, but SAMHSA should expand their conception of their role in this area to advocating for anti-stigma education for health care providers.
42 votes -
Electronic patient health information regarding mental health and substance abuse
Electronic patient health information regarding mental health and substance abuse are included in the designation "specially protected" health information (SPHI) in many states. With different consent laws across the states this causes serious difficulty in facilitating interstate health information exchange of these types of data. Having incomplete data at the point of care can be dangerous. We need to facilitate a national consent model that will allow the secure and appropriate sharing of electronic SPHI.
33 votes -
Caution PCP's in diagnosing mental health issues
SAMHSA needs to take into account that most psychotropic medications are prescribed by PCPs who may not have the background to diagnose these issues. They need to be urged to refer their patients to specialists as needed.
22 votes -
21 votes
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HIT will hardwire bad practice unless we act
Recovery oriented, person centered and strengths based practices must be developed at the heart of HIT systems. If not, deficits based, disease oriented prompts and fields will dominate the EMRs and these will reinforce bad practice, literally hardwiring it into workflow
19 votes -
SMHSA would do well to focus on standards
While the potential is clearly there for EMR's there is simply no reality that as a nation we are close to having a system that will save money or improve patient care. SAMHSA should concentrate, maybe partner with Google & Microsoft to develop the standards for sharing and protecting the information before anything else.
16 votes -
Clarify what behavioral health and mental health mean
They are often distinguished poorly if at all. And they sometimes depend on conformity to perceived systemic norms, which themselves should be open to challenge at the very least.
14 votes -
Collect better race, ethnicity and language data
SAMHSA's SI should follow the IOM recommendations on Standardized collection of Race/Ethnicity Data for Healthcare Quality Improvement. This is needed to stratify quality performance, organize quality improvement and disparity reduction initiatives, and track progress over time. Standardized data will support comparison of data on disparities across organizations and initiatives.
10 votes -
9 votes
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Maximize patient privacy and provider coordination to ensure full participation.
Information technology (IT) investment in electronic health records (EHRs) will provide a significant benefit toward improving health care delivery and increased efficiency. By increasing the efficiency of transmitting information, health care providers will undoubtedly increase patient welfare. The ease and convenience of EHR is not disputed, but the potential negative aspects of eased information access, beyond medications, allergies and the like, are significant. Along with the implementation of EHR and overall IT investment, we ask that efforts be made to minimize the stigma and discriminatory practices toward treating patients diagnosed with a mental illness. Having greater information at the provider’s…
9 votes -
As a clinician access to client care info is vital esp. in emergencies. Tho, we know that
However, we no that digital info is not secure since insurer's have access to 2 large data banks, w/o client knowledge & permission. HIPPA does not address this situation adequately.
9 votes -
9 votes
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8 votes
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8 votes
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