A bill recently introduced into the U.S. Senate would extend meaningful use incentives to clinical psychologists in psychiatric hospitals, community mental health centers and mental health or substance abuse treatment facilities.
The Behavioral Health IT Coordination Act, introduced by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), will now be referred to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
“The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers is very excited and appreciative of Sen. Portman’s introduction of the Behavioral Health IT Coordination Act (S. 1685),” said Hubert Wirtz, CEO of The Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers, in a news release. “Adequate investment in healthcare information technology is critical to enabling mental health and addiction providers to implement systems that help them improve care coordination, provide quality care, measure outcomes and enable continuity of care between primary care, mental health and addiction services. Without this, community behavioral health providers cannot adequately track outcomes, engage in wellness management and engage in cost-effective chronic disease prevention and recovery.”
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