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Category: Regulation & Policy
06/01/2023

How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain? Psychological Researchers Examine Impact on Different Age Groups Over Time

Article Excerpt: Although scientists are working to answer important questions about consuming cannabis, one of the gaping holes in the field is a reliable method of quantifying how many milligrams of THC are in the multitude of products available, said Dartmouth College’s Alan Budney, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and biomedical science who specializes in cannabis research… Budney is now preparing to launch a survey of 15,000 users who will report not only the detailed information about their cannabis consumption but also how the products are affecting them in terms of depression, anxiety, cannabis use disorder symptoms, and quality of life.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/42zuuxms

Article Source: American Psychological Association

Posted in: Methodologies & Analytics, Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/28/2023

The Digital Wellness Lab Aims to Mediate Between TikTok and Parents

Article Excerpt: As some states try to regulate children’s social media use and TikTok emerges as a geopolitical chew toy, a new clearinghouse has emerged for mediating between tech companies and those concerned about their products’ impact on kids: the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/bdahr353

Article Source: Axios

Posted in: Methodologies & Analytics, Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
03/23/2023

With Gains and Gaps, Mental Health Care Moves Forward

Article Excerpt: According to the state Department of Health and Human Services, one in four New Hampshire residents is experiencing some form of mental health distress. “This is a regional and national crisis for all children and adults,” said Dr. William Torrey, chief of psychiatry at Dartmouth Health, who has spent 38 years in the field. Demand for inpatient and outpatient care currently “exceeds our capacity at all levels,” Torrey said. More people are seeking care, more are acknowledging mental illness and addiction struggles in themselves and loved ones, and more are advocating for mental health care — which is good. “They see the extreme need for services.”

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/msxv2adj

Article Source: Union Leader

Posted in: Regulation & Policy, Uncategorized // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
12/20/2022

Bill Could Pave the Way for Prescription Digital Therapeutics Reimbursement

Article Excerpt: New legislation would allow for reimbursement of prescribed digital therapeutics under Medicare, which proponents argue could increase access to these emerging treatments. Still, others say it’s new technology, and the wrong reimbursement model could tamper innovation and increase patient costs. The Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act of 2022, introduced in the U.S. Senate in March, aims to amend the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage and reimbursement for prescription digital therapeutics.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/464yhtr7

Article Source: MobiHealthNews

Posted in: Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ;
09/07/2022

Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visits Fail to Meet Needs of Older Adult, Study Says

Article Excerpt: Medicare annual wellness visits do not adequately meet the wellness needs of the diverse population of U.S. adults, according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Physicians at the medical school weighed the opportunities gained and lost through the one-size-fits-all approach to Medicare annual wellness visits, according to a Sept. 6 news release. Annual medical visits address disease prevention and the promotion of health and wellness and are an important part of medical care for older adults. Medicare initiated annual wellness visits as part of the program 10 years ago. John Batsis, MD, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said there is a missed opportunity to use the Medicare annual wellness visit in a manner to optimize quality of life and physical function among the millions of older adults in the United States.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/3yhzpx7d

Article Source: Becker’s Hospital Review

Posted in: Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
09/06/2022

Doctors Assess Opportunities Gained, Lost through Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visits

Article Excerpt: While medical visits that address disease prevention and the promotion of health and wellness are important parts of medical care for older adults, when Medicare was introduced in 1965, it did not address this important component of health care. Medicare took an important step to correct this deficit when it initiated Medicare annual wellness visits (AWV) ten years ago. AWV’s emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion for older adults was a huge step forward, however the current “one size fits all” approach does not adequately meet the wellness needs of a diverse population of older adults. In their recent special article in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, Patrick P Coll, MD, medical director for senior health and associate director for clinical geriatrics at the UConn Center on Aging at UConn Health, and John A. Batsis, MD, associate professor in the division of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues reviewed the need to redesign AWV’s in order to optimally identify issues that are important to each individual patient.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2bxppd3n

Article Source: UNC Health News

Posted in: Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ;
04/26/2022

Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy Prioritizes Digital Therapeutics Reimbursement for Substance Use

Article Excerpt: The Biden Administration is encouraging new digital therapeutics reimbursement strategies in both the public and private sector as part of its National Drug Control Strategy report. In the plan the White House pitches digital therapeutics, evidence-based treatments delivered through software interventions to treat or manage a condition, as a potential tool to help expand access to substance use disorder (SUD) treatments. The reimbursement plans, which was first spotted by Exits and Outcomes, was part of a larger plan to tackle substance use disorders.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mr82ered

Article Source: Behavioral Health Business

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ;
04/14/2022

New Bill Aims to Improve Behavioral Health IT Adoption

Article Excerpt: An April 6 press release announced that Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Congressman Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) introduced a new act focused on improving behavioral health providers are not left behind when it comes to health information technology, including electronic health records (EHRs). The act, dubbed The Behavioral Health Information Technologies (BHIT) Now Act, aims to coordinate mental and physical health are by supporting behavioral health providers to adopt health IT systems.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/y7b5urue

Article Source: Healthcare Innovation

Posted in: Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ;
03/07/2022

Doctors, Companies Push to Keep Looser, Pandemic-Era Rules for Prescribing Opioid Addiction Treatment via Telemedicine

Article Excerpt: It got a lot easier for patients with opioid addiction to get their medication remotely during the pandemic — and now addiction doctors and telehealth companies are pushing Congress to make those flexibilities permanent. Before Covid-19, patients had to see a doctor in person for prescriptions to help them with their addictions, like buprenorphine. Now, at least temporarily, they can get them via telehealth appointments. Experts say loosening the rules helped eliminate longstanding barriers to addiction care, like a lack of transportation or a shortage of clinicians who prescribe medically assisted treatment, especially in rural communities. But the changes are temporary, tied to the state of “emergency” associated with the pandemic — and proponents want them made permanent.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2emjckwd

Article Source: STAT News

Posted in: Emerging Technologies, Regulation & Policy // Tagged: ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;