Case Management Consultant to Attorneys in Litigated Cases.

ABSTRACT: Rehabilitation nurses possess knowledge and skills that are ideally suited to a variety of roles. This article informs rehabilitation nurses about opportunities to work in private case management for medical-legal cases. A brief overview of the process of litigation gives nurses the context in which case management interventions are needed. Case examples illustrate the services that nurses provide to attorneys and their clients that help obtain needed care and aid in progressing litigation to resolution.

Perspectives on Implementation Considerations and Costs of Malaria Case Management Supportive Supervision.

Between 2012 and 2017, the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative-funded MalariaCare project supported national malaria control programs in sub-Saharan Africa to implement a case management quality assurance (QA) system for malaria and other febrile illnesses. A major component of the system was outreach training and supportive supervision (OTSS), whereby trained government health personnel visited health facilities to observe health-care practices using a standard checklist, to provide individualized feedback to staff, and to develop health facility-wide action plans based on observation and review of facility registers. Based on MalariaCare's experience, facilitating visits to more than 5,600 health facilities in nine countries, we found that programs seeking to implement similar supportive supervision schemes should consider ensuring the following: 1) develop a practical checklist that balances information gathering and mentorship; 2) establish basic competency criteria for supervisors and periodically assess supervisor performance in the field; 3) conduct both technical skills training and supervision skills training; 4) establish criteria for selecting facilities to conduct OTSS and determine the appropriate frequency of visits; and 5) use electronic data collection systems where possible. Cost will also be a significant consideration: the average cost per OTSS visit ranged from $44 to $333. Significant variation in costs was due to factors such as travel time, allowances for government personnel, length of the visit, and involvement of central level officials. Because the cost of conducting supportive supervision prohibits regularly visiting all health facilities, internal QA measures could also be considered as alternative or complementary activities to supportive supervision.

Medicare Program; Contract Year 2019 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Cost Plan, Medicare Fee-for-Service, the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs, and the PACE Program. Final rule.

This final rule will revise the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) regulations and Prescription Drug Benefit program (Part D) regulations to implement certain provisions of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) to further reduce the number of beneficiaries who may potentially misuse or overdose on opioids while still having access to important treatment options; implement certain provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act; support innovative approaches to improve program quality, accessibility, and affordability; offer beneficiaries more choices and better care; improve the CMS customer experience and maintain high beneficiary satisfaction; address program integrity policies related to payments based on prescriber, provider and supplier status in MA, Medicare cost plan, Medicare Part D and the PACE programs; provide an update to the official Medicare Part D electronic prescribing standards; and clarify program requirements and certain technical changes regarding treatment of Medicare Part A and Part B appeal rights related to premiums adjustments.

A Comparison of Participants in Two Community-Based Programs: Assisted Outpatient Treatment and a Mental Health Court.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health courts and assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) are tools to help people with serious mental illness engage in treatment and avoid or reduce institutionalization. As both programs become increasingly prevalent, questions remain about whether people with severe mental illness who receive AOT have the same characteristics, histories, and service needs as those who participate in mental health courts. If there are differences, each program may require assessments and interventions tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of participants. METHODS: This study examined administrative criminal justice and mental health services data for 261 people with serious mental illness who participated in AOT, a mental health court, or both over seven years. RESULTS: Three percent of the sample participated in both programs. Compared with participants in mental health court, participants in AOT were older, less likely to have an alcohol use disorder, and more likely to have a schizophrenia spectrum disorder than a bipolar disorder. The participants' histories of crisis mental health service utilization, hospitalization, and incarceration prior to program entry varied significantly by program. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that there are differences among individuals with serious mental illness who are served by AOT and mental health court programs. AOT participants had greater engagement with mental health services, and a significant portion of AOT participants also had a prior criminal history that placed them at risk of future justice involvement. Program administrators need to recognize and address the clinical and criminogenic needs that place individuals at risk of becoming hospitalized and incarcerated.

Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System. Final rule.

This final rule replaces the Statewide and Tribal Automated Child Welfare Information Systems (S/TACWIS) rule with the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) rule. The rule also makes conforming amendments in rules in related requirements. This rule will assist title IV-E agencies in developing information management systems that leverage new innovations and technology in order to better serve children and families. More specifically, this final rule supports the use of cost-effective, innovative technologies to automate the collection of high-quality case management data and to promote its analysis, distribution, and use by workers, supervisors, administrators, researchers, and policy makers.

An examination of stakeholder attitudes and understanding of therapeutic jurisprudence in a mental health court.

Mental health courts represent a key component of contemporary responses to mental illness and disability in the criminal justice system, and yet there is uncertainty about how these courts should balance their punishment and treatment roles. This paper reports an analysis of interviews with court professionals which considers their understanding of the rationale underpinning an Australian mental health court, its effectiveness in achieving its criminal justice and clinical goals, and of broader notions of therapeutic jurisprudence. This reveals considerable support for diversionary mental health court programs of this type and professional confidence that this type of program is effective. However, the analysis also highlights conflict in the practice frameworks of the different professional groups who regularly contribute to the operations of the court. Suggestions to enhance service delivery are offered.