A business case for behavioral health was the theme of this year’s World Congress Leadership Summit on Behavioral Health – and the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act of 2008 was the hot topic of discussion among the convening employers, health plans and providers. more»

It may be a question similar to the chicken and the egg: Which came first – depression or the sleep disorder? But what is clear is that there is a link between the two. Studies at Stanford University found that 800 out of 100,000 people have both major depressive disorder and obstructive sleep apnea (a condition causing highly interrupted sleep patterns). more»

Mental Health America (MHA) President and Chief Executive Officer David Shern, Ph.D. delivered the opening keynote address at the World Congress Leadership Summit on Behavioral Health. more»

The issue of the Mental Health Parity Law and its impact on the business sectors, providers and consumers in healthcare was a hot topic at the World Congress Leadership Summit on Behavioral Health in Philadelphia this month. more»

With payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) expected to plummet under developing health care legislation, coordinated care is a major path to survival for private plans in Medicare, according to speakers July 13 at the World Health Care Congress's 5th Annual Leadership Summit on Medicare. more»

How do visionaries imagine the future of behavioral health and wellness in a landscape transformed by parity and reform? Key leaders from top providers, health plans, employers and mental health advocacy organizations convened June 13 in an invitation-only conference in Philadelphia to discuss "A Business Case for Behavioral Health." more»

Even before health care reform legislation has been formally introduced on Capitol Hill, skirmishes have broken out regarding proposals to establish a government-sponsored insurance program, tax health benefits and mandate employer coverage. more»

Cuts in health care have long-term impact, said Erdem Erginel - the member of the cabinet of European Commissioner for Health at Brussels World Health Care Congress Europe. more»

More than any other single issue in the health reform debate, the creation of a public insurance option is most likely to keep health plan executives lying awake at night. Opponents of a public option contend that such an entity would have too many advantages over private insurers and worry that it could be the first step toward a single-payer health system. But President Obama's top health policy advisor insists that such an entity could compete with private health plans on a level playing field. more»

The cost of innovative medicines will rise, and the only solution for healthcare system is the patient-centered health care, where patients have greater responsibility for their own health, was said in Brussels at the 5th World Health Care Congress Europe. more»

Brussels plays host to the fifth annual World Health Care Congress Europe, where thought-leaders and senior executives met with the shared goal of finding new health-care solutions. Healthy Horizons investigates. more»

While scientists have made tremendous discoveries in the field of personalized medicine, we are only beginning to realize its promise, said participants in a World Health Care Congress session on personalized medicine. more»

As health plans search for ways to reach and motivate members to become more engaged in their health, they say that one lesson stands out loud and clear: In today's world, people won't come to you on your terms. Health plans that reach out to their members on their terms using tools that reach them wherever they happen to be with tailored, focused messages stand the best chance of success. And one effective way to do this is with cell phones and other mobile devices. more»

At the Chronic Care & Prevention Congress, the Disease Management Care Blog heard about Pennsylvania’s chronic care initiative, North Carolina’s Community Care, the 1115 Waiver in Los Angeles County and Health Dialog’s involvement and support for care management programs. more»

What a day. The Disease Management Care Blog got to moderate an afternoon session at the World Health Care Congress' 3rd Annual Chronic Care & Prevention Congress. The speakers were David Nash, MD, MBA and Dean of the Jefferson School of Popualtion Health, Chris Selecky, the President and CEO of LifeMasters and Charles Wilhelm, MD, the Chief Medical Officer of Health System One. The theme of the session was "modern approaches to to chronic care design." more»

As health plans search for ways to reach and motivate members to become more engaged in their health, they say that one lesson stands out loud and clear: In today's world, people won't come to you on your terms. Health plans that reach out to their members on their terms using tools that reach them wherever they happen to be with tailored, focused messages stand the best chance of success. And one effective way to do this is with cell phones and other mobile devices. more»

Back on April 14, while at the World Health Care Congress, the Disease Management Care Blog heard about the 'X Prize' for healthcare. Recall that it was these folks who first offered up a $10 million purse to the team that could fly a 3 passenger vehicle into space twice in two weeks. A private firm pulled it off on October 4, 2004. The X Prize Foundation is also offering similar prizes in human genomics, robotic space exploration and extreme automobile efficiency. more»

Results from trials of a patient-centered medical home suggest that such arrangements result in cost savings and reduced hospital readmissions, according to Dr. Barbara Walters, senior medical director of southern New Hampshire community group practices at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health care system. more»

Father of microfinance and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus created Grameen Bank over 25 years ago to alleviate poverty. He then started up a health-care insurance program for the impoverished in 1993. Healthy Horizons investigates the workings of the Grameen Health Initiative. more»