A psychiatrist and medical college dean receives honors for his long career in schizophrenia and public mental health research and efforts to revitalize psychiatric services at a medical school. 

The Department of Health and Human Services enhances the security of private health information and clarifies the role of physicians and their business associates in ensuring that such data are protected. HHS releases final rule on HIPAA privacy and security rule. 

A new Medicare payment plan that seeks to reward quality treatment has the potential to remedy a long-ailing system, says APA. APA comments on House proposal regarding controversial Medicare reimbursement formula. 

New legislation would hold health care providers responsible for misrepresenting their credentials. APA backs new legislation to would put a check on misrepresentations by health professionals.  

Two of the country's leading medical institutions join a growing chorus of physician organizations, including APA and the AMA, in calling for substantial changes to the government's interim final rule on accountable care ... 

Community mental health centers will soon be required to comply with new federal health and safety operating standards if they treat Medicare patients.  

CMS hopes to reduce the number of payouts on bad Medicare claims with the introduction of new technology designed to root out scam artists who abuse the health program.  

A federal appeals court supports the government's right to institute a "minimum coverage" health insurance mandate as part of the new health care reform law.  

New rates, eligibility standards, and incentives introduced by HHS help ensure that a greater number of people with preexisting conditions are eligible for immediate, comprehensive health care coverage.  

Patients' rights in appealing health care claims are reevaluated in a proposed regulatory amendment that seems to favor the interests of insurance providers over those of the patients they insure.  

The Supreme Court's ruling on Vermont's data-mining law opens the door for pharmacies and drug companies to access prescriber-identifying data and use the data to market directly to physicians.  

As insurers continue to deny equitable coverage for the treatment of mental disorders, lobbyists and legislators urge regulators to release a much-needed final rule on the Wellstone-Domenici parity law.  

While APA supports most of the proposed changes to the HIPAA privacy rule, it is concerned about requiring more work for physicians to comply with patient information requests about who is accessing their health data. ... 

CMS proposes new hardship exemptions and compliance procedures for physicians and group practices that may have had trouble meeting the original electronic prescribing requirements for Medicare patients.  

Physicians' acceptance of new patients with Medicare coverage has decreased minimally in recent years despite alarms about how low reimbursements could cause physicians to halt their participation in the program.  

The decision of Oregon officials to institute major Medicaid cutbacks may be having unintended consequences, as uninsured patients with schizophrenia require more psychiatric hospitalization.  

APA submits an amicus brief in the case of alleged Tucson shooter Jared Loughner, maintaining the right of federal authorities to order involuntary medication for a dangerous pre-trial detainee without the need for a full judicial ... 

Researchers find a significant rise in antipsychotic prescriptions for patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders, despite limited studies on safety and efficacy of the medications for these disorders.