Study Examines Psychotropic Rx
Most antidepressants are prescribed by general practice physicians, including general practitioners, ob.gyns, and pediatricians, according to a study by sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The study found that 62% of 232 million antidepressant prescriptions written between August 2006 and July 2007 were written by general practitioners, as were 59% of the 272 million prescriptions for psychotropic drugs. Pediatricians wrote 25% of all stimulant prescriptions. Psychiatrists and addiction specialists wrote two-thirds of the prescriptions for antimania medications, 49% of prescriptions for anti- psychotics, 34% of prescriptions for stimulants, and 21% of prescriptions for antipsychotics. The researchers noted that “concerns remain about whether patients treated in the general medical setting are receiving treatment concordant with evidence-based guidelines, psychotherapy, adequate medication monitoring, and appropriate intensity of treatment,” adding that a previous study found that about two-thirds of primary care physicians reported they were unable to obtain outpatient mental health services for patients. The study appears in the September issue of Psychiatric Services.
More HIPAA Goes to Rights Office
The Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights will now enforce the confidentiality of electronic health information as well as other patient records, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced. The office already had responsibility for enforcing the HIPAA's privacy rule, which guards nonelectronic personal health information. But enforcement of the HIPAA security rule for electronic health information had been delegated to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Legislation approved as part of the Recovery Act of 2009 mandated better enforcement of both rules. Ms. Sebelius noted in a statement that electronic and nonelectronic health information increasingly overlaps. “Combining the enforcement authority [for both rules] in one agency within HHS will facilitate improvements by eliminating duplication and increasing efficiency,” she said. CMS will continue to have authority for the administration and enforcement of other HIPAA regulations.
HHS Issues Privacy Breach Rules
The federal government is requiring physicians and other HIPAA covered entities to notify individuals when their protected health information has been breached. The rule went into effect last month. Under the rule, physicians have up to 60 calendar days from when they detect unauthorized access of protected health information to notify the patient. If the breach involves more than 500 individuals, the HHS secretary and a major media outlet in their area must be notified. “This new federal law ensures that covered entities and business associates are accountable to [HHS] and to individuals for proper safeguarding of the private information entrusted to their care,” said Robinsue Frohboese, acting director of the Office of Civil Rights at HHS. “These protections will be a cornerstone of maintaining consumer trust as we move forward with meaningful use of electronic health records and electronic exchange of health information.” There are exceptions: Notifications are not necessary if the information that was disclosed is unlikely to be retained. For example, if a nurse gives a patient the wrong discharge papers but quickly takes them back, it's reasonable to assume that the patient could not have retained that protected information, said HHS. More information is available at
Lilly Payment Data Now Public
Eli Lilly & Co. has made good on its promise to publish how much it pays physicians and other health care professionals in consulting fees, honoraria, and the like. The drugmaker detailed the payments for the first quarter of 2009 at
Youth Tobacco Sales Drop More
Sales of tobacco to children have reached historic lows, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said. SAMHSA credited the Synar Amendment program, which requires states to prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco to people under age 18. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have, for the third year running, achieved better than 80% compliance among tobacco product retailers, said the agency. “Continued state vigilance will build on our track record of success in protecting children from the public health menace of tobacco,” said SAMHSA acting administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., in a statement.