Opioid Deaths Climbing as Life Expectancy Diminishes
The life expectancy for citizens of the U.S has decreased again and left many searching for answers. This is the third year in a row that such a decrease has occurred and should be a cause for concern. The data continues the longest sustained decline in expected life span at birth in a century, a […]
The 3 Tenants of Creators and Consumers for Value Based Payments
When you look at a finished report like the one below, it looks like it must have been complicated to create and taken a long time. It’s colorful; it can be filtered to highlight specific information; it shows off multiple parts of your agency. But creating these reports doesn’t have to be complicated. You just […]
Conquer Value-Based Payments with Customized Reports in Your Agency
If you put some of the best minds in behavioral health together and asked them what the most important reporting needs are to succeed in value-based payments, many of them would probably agree. You might even get close to a consensus on some of them. But if you asked each of them to individually draw […]
Approaching the Bench in Trauma Informed Courts | There’s a Difference
70% of adults in the United States have experienced trauma at least once in their lives. These traumatic events continue to affect how the individuals function in their daily life long after the event is over. Trauma, if left unaddressed, can often lead to mental health disorders, substance abuse, increased vulnerability to new trauma, suicide, and dysfunctional […]
45 Thousand Lost to the Suicide Epidemic, and Counting {Infographic}
After Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain each took their own lives within a week of one another, suicide awareness and prevention dominated the media. But eventually other stories stole the attention of the media, and suicide faded to the background. Many don’t realize the number of people affected by suicide – and who they are. […]
Working in Hell’s Kitchen | Rising Suicide Rates in Restaurant Workers
I recently caught up with a cousin I haven’t seen in a while. I was explaining that I work at a behavioral health software company, and I write about issues in the field. Issues like the opioid crisis, trauma informed care, mental health, and more. And he immediately told me that I should write about mental health in […]
What Hockey Injuries Taught Me About Mental Health Treatment
It was the first week of January in 2014, and my men’s league hockey game was coming to its weekly late-night conclusion. I was chasing a puck into the corner while fighting off a defender with the hope of making one more good hockey play before hanging ‘em up for another week. After playing serious […]
What Happens After a Relapse | The Clinician’s Perspective
I grew up watching Disney Channel – the Camp Rock movies starring Demi Lovato were two of my favorites. Like any Disney program, it tried to teach the importance of being yourself. But I learned more from watching Demi navigate her personal life. I learned that eating disorders, depression, and addiction were problems that someone my age […]
3 Tips for Maintaining Outcomes Integrity in Behavioral Health
The Behavioral Health field is undergoing a data revolution where electronic capture of daily activity is expected to produce reports that demonstrate, among other things, quality. The initial response to this paradigm shift is to have an electronic health record that can capture data, and produce reporting and analytics capabilities that use the data to demonstrate agency effectiveness. While […]
The Florida Model for Addiction Treatment | More Than Beaches & Disney
When most people think about Florida, they think about sunshine; about white sandy beaches and crystal blue water; about laughing with Mickey Mouse at Disney World. But for many others, they think about addiction; about concern for their loved one; about choosing a rehabilitation center. And when they think about options for a rehabilitation center, […]