HIT Opportunities for Behavioral Health Providers (posted 4/22)

A new bill in Congress would expand federal health information technology (HIT) opportunities to community behavioral health providers and organizations. MIWwatch reports, "This legislation would extend the incentives for the 'meaningful use' of electronic health records established through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by ensuring the eligibility of many behavioral and mental health professionals, psychiatric hospitals, behavioral and mental health treatment facilities, and substance abuse treatment facilities." According to MIWatch, Kennedy stated, "This legislation would further extend the incentives included in the HITECH Act to the mental and behavioral health community. It acknowledges what was established with the passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act - that we need to treat illnesses of the brain just as we would ailments of any other part of the body." The Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act of 2010 (H.R. 5040) represents an important opportunity for the behavioral health field to embrace electronic health records and other HIT, but some organizations are advocating for important improvements in the bill. To read more about this issue on the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare website click here. To download their fact sheet click here. To read the full MIWatch article click here.

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