AMA Resources Focus on Behavioral Health Integration and Physician Mental Health In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Medical Association (AMA) has released resources to help physicians integrate behavioral health into their practices as well as prioritize their own mental well-being. The two newly developed guides focus on behavioral health integration in private practices, one for practices serving adult patients and the other for children and adolescent populations. The guides outline key guiding questions relevant to independent practices caring for adult and youth patients who are considering behavioral health integration. The newly revised “Managing Mental Health During COVID-19” ... May 10, 2022 AMA, Mental Health, Physician Wellness American Medical Association 0 0 Comment Read More »
COVID-19 Health Workers Suffer Combat-type Moral Trauma A Duke University study shows that, amid COVID-19, US healthcare workers (HCWs) had similar rates of potential moral injury (PMI)—a type of trauma-induced wound to the psyche—as military combat veterans. The study, published yesterday in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, surveyed 2,099 HCWs in 2020 and 2021 and 618 military veterans deployed to a combat zone after the Sep 11, 2001, US terrorist attacks about PMIs they may have experienced. PMI is a distressing reaction to exposure to traumatic events that may have psychological, behavioral, social, and spiritual effects. Depression, lower quality of life Of ... April 7, 2022 COVID19, Healthcare, Mental Health, Physician Wellness, Physician Workforce, Trauma Informed Care COIVD-19, Health Care Workers, Trauma 0 0 Comment Read More »
Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act The Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act was officially signed into law on March 18, 2022 by the president. The law is named for Dr. Lorna Breen, a New York City based Emergency physician who died by suicide in April 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic. The law seeks to identify and address the causes of burnout in physicians and health care professionals. The law will support a two-year timeline in which the Health and Human Services (HHS) will research best practices for improving the mental ... April 5, 2022 Advocacy, General, Healthcare, Mental Health, Physician Wellness, Physician Workforce Health Care Provider, Physician Burnout, Physician Wellness 0 0 Comment Read More »
Five Creative Ways to Fund Your Physician Wellness Program by Dr. Ewards-Ojeba of Recharged MD. Recharged MD aims to help health systems to create and grow sustainable, internal wellness programs. Ask many chief wellness officers (CWOs) and they’ll identify funding as the elephant in the room stifling the organization’s ability to develop effective physician wellness programs. Unfortunately, organizational-level funding to combat physician burnout remains few and far between. In this article, we hope to spark some creative ideas for financing your organization’s wellness programs. 1) Make Your Wellness Program CME Accredited Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Board of Medical Specialties ... March 25, 2022 Mental Health, Physician Wellness Physician Wellness, Resilience, Wellness 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Law Aims to Strengthen Access to Mental Health Services The number of people with symptoms of depression and anxiety has nearly quadrupled during the covid pandemic, which has made it even more maddeningly difficult to get timely mental health care, even if you have good insurance. A California law signed Oct. 8 by Gov. Gavin Newsom could help. It requires that mental health and substance abuse patients be offered return appointments no more than 10 days after a previous session, unless their provider OKs less frequent visits. Current insurance regulations already require giving patients an initial mental health visit no more than 10 ... October 29, 2021 COVID19, Healthcare, Mental Health, Patient Care Healthcare, Mental Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
