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Medical Directors' Report Recommends Training More Psychiatrists and Expanding TelepsychiatryToday, the National Council for Behavioral Health's Medical Director Institute released recommendations to ensure there are enough psychiatrists to treat the people who need help. The need for an adequate psychiatric workforce has never been greater than it is now. In addition to expanded insurance coverage driving demand, our nation faces public health crises in its opioid epidemic and rising suicide rates. Yet, 55 percent of U.S. counties have no psychiatrists at all. If nothing is done, the demand for psychiatry will outstrip supply by 25 percent in 2025. The report, "The Psychiatric Shortage: Causes and Solutions," from the National Council Medical Director Institute (the Institute), is a blueprint to grow psychiatry and fundamentally change the way it is practiced in the United States. National Council President and CEO Linda Rosenberg warned of the dangers from ignoring the report's conclusions. "In every town in America, we see the unmet need-young pregnant women with untreated addiction living on the streets; older adults who are isolated, anxious, and at risk for suicide; men and women with mental illnesses released from jails without housing or access to care." Rosenberg added that, "our nation's treatment capacity desperately needs to be expanded. We urge all stakeholders to take the recommendations in this report seriously and help modernize psychiatry to avert a crisis that would affect the most vulnerable people in society." This report comes at a time when psychiatric patients face overly brief clinical appointments and long wait times for appointments as physicians continue to age out of the profession. At the same time, reimbursement methodology for services are antiquated, physicians are rewarded for volume over value, government regulations thwart progress and the system marginalizes allied medical professionals. The Institute recommends a comprehensive approach that will begin to adjust the imbalances identified in the report. Long-term recommendations include:
Led by Joe Parks, M.D., Medical Director at the National Council and Chair of the Institute, and Patrick Runnels, Medical Director at the Centers for Families and Children and Co-Chair of the Institute, with an expert panel led by Howard Liu, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Adam Biuckians, Community Services Group, the report makes a number of specific recommendations.
"This is a call to action to reinvigorate psychiatry for the 21st century patient, who seeks 21st century behavioral health care," said Dr. Parks. "At a time when we are coping with the twin problems of a rising suicide rate and an out-of-control opioid addiction epidemic, we must act now." Why now? The nation is facing a shortage of trained psychiatrists. From 2003-2013 there was a 10 percent decline in the number of practicing psychiatrists. If the current workforce of 45,580 does not grow, the deficit of psychiatrists will double from around six percent to 12 percent by 2025, according to a 2016 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-commissioned study. The psychiatry shortage has manifested itself in myriad ways:
Methodology The Medical Director Institute brought together a diverse group of practitioners, administrators, policymakers, researchers, innovators, educators, advocates and payers to ensure depth of discussion from a variety of viewpoints. Each provided literature and research from their area of expertise for review, as well as their unique perspectives to the vexing problem of lack of access to psychiatric services. Stakeholders for whom these recommendations were developed include the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS); the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD); the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); professional membership organizations for psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists; health care provider organizations; payers; advocacy organizations and consumer organizations. About the Medical Director Institute The Medical Director Institute advises the National Council for Behavioral Health board, staff and membership on issues and topics heavily impacted by clinical practice and provide longer-term guidance through a series of technical papers. It also assesses best practices in medication-assisted treatment (MAT), a method of treating opioid, alcohol and tobacco use disorders. The Medical Director Institute is composed of medical directors from National Council member organizations. The full roster can be found at www.thenationalcouncil.org/about/national-mental-health-association/medical-director-institute. About the National Council for Behavioral Health The National Council for Behavioral Health is the unifying voice of America's mental health and addictions treatment organizations. Together with over 2,800 member organizations, serving 10 million adults, children and families living with mental illnesses and addictions, the National Council is committed to all Americans having access to comprehensive, high-quality care that affords every opportunity for recovery. The National Council was instrumental in bringing Mental Health First Aid to the U.S. In 2014, the National Council merged with the State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS). To learn more about the National Council, visit www.TheNationalCouncil.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170328006061/en/ |