New ADHD Society
The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) made its debut in June. The Mt. Royal, N.J.-based society says it is the first devoted to ADHD and aims to improve quality of care, boost research, and disseminate best practices. The organization is also launching the quarterly peer-reviewed Journal of ADHD and Related Disorders. The board of directors includes Dr. Ronald Kessler of Harvard Medical School and Dr. Joseph Biederman, chief of the adult ADHD program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Biederman has been under fire from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for alleged failures to disclose conflicts of interest. According to APSARD Executive Director Gene Terry, the society expects to fund the majority of its activities from journal subscriptions, advertising, and membership dues, and it will accept industry support for independent continuing medical education.
Parity Law Won't Have Bad Impact
The new law requiring employers to offer comparable medical and mental health coverage won't lead to a drop in benefits, according to a survey conducted for an arm of the American Psychiatric Foundation. The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health surveyed 1,000 employers on what changes they might make when the law goes into effect next January. About 40% of the 143 respondents were businesses with more than 5,000 workers; 40% had fewer than 1,000 employees. Almost 90% of respondents offered both mental health and medical coverage currently, the survey found. Only eight of the respondents said they were considering dropping mental health and substance abuse coverage, and five of those were so small that they would be exempt from the parity law, anyway.
$460 Billion for Addiction, Abuse
In what it is calling the first report of its kind, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University said substance abuse and addiction directly cost local, state, and federal governments close to $470 billion annually. And that was based on the 4-year-old data. The feds spent the most, $238 billion, but state governments were tapped for a hefty $135 billion. Only about 2% of overall spending went to prevention and treatment and 0.4% to research, said CASA. The largest amount of federal and state spending was for health care, $207 billion or 58% of the dollars; 13% ($47 billion) was devoted to incarceration, probation, parole, and the court systems.
Obama: Give MedPAC More Clout
The Obama administration wants to give the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) greater influence. In a June 2 letter to Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), President Obama said he supported giving each MedPAC recommendation the force of law unless it's opposed by a joint resolution of Congress. This appeared to embrace the approach in the MedPAC Reform Act of 2009, which Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) introduced in May. Currently, MedPAC advises Congress, which then decides whether to act on the recommendations. At a Brookings Institution conference in mid-June, White House Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag said the administration wants MedPAC recommendations to “become much more relevant.”
Vermont Bans Most Pharma Gifts
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) has signed into law a bill that prohibits manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics from providing free gifts, including meals and travel, to physicians and other health care providers. The toughest of its kind in the nation, the legislation also requires disclosure of any allowed gifts or payments, regardless of their value. In 2002, a Vermont law required disclosure of gifts or payments of $25 or more. Under the stronger law, manufacturers can give physicians only gifts such as samples intended for patients, “reasonable quantities” of medical device evaluation or demonstration units, and copies of peer-reviewed articles. Companies still can provide scholarships or other support for medical students, residents, and fellows to attend educational events held by professional associations, as long as the association selects the scholarship recipient.
ED Overcrowding Continues
The emergency department wait time to see a physician for emergent patients–those who should be seen in 1-14 minutes–averaged 37 minutes in 2006. Half of such patients waited longer than recommended, the GAO said in a report. In addition, patients who should have been seen immediately waited an average of 28 minutes, and about three-fourths had to wait to be seen. Hospitals performed better with urgent cases: Those patients, who should be seen in 15-60 minutes, waited an average of 50 minutes, and only about 20% waited longer than recommended, the report said. Lack of inpatient beds continues to be the main driver of ED overcrowding, the GAO noted. The American College of Emergency Physicians warned that overcrowding and wait times will only get worse as the population ages. “People age 65 and older represent the fastest growing segment of the population and the group whose visits to the emergency department are increasing the fastest,” said Dr. Nicholas Jouriles, ACEP president, in a statement.