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Do EAPs qualify as ACA & HIPAA excepted benefits? Proposed rules set conditions
Buck Consultants
The Proposed Amendments To Excepted Benefits Regulation (Proposed Rule) published by the Agencies jointly in the Dec. 24, 2013, Federal Register would add certain employee assistance programs as excepted benefits for purposes of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Affordable Care Act and make certain other changes to the excepted benefits definition. The proposed rules address the requirements necessary for Employee Assistance Plans, to be treated as excepted benefits.
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EAPA volunteers launch new membership outreach effort
Employee Assistance Professionals Association
Randi Wood, Director of the Colorado State EAP, and Dotty Blum, EAP Manager for the Architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., have volunteered to create an organized effort to reach out to EAPA members whose membership renewal date has recently passed. They are looking for 15-20 other member volunteers to join their new membership retention task force in this important member-to-member outreach effort. Volunteers will be asked to call just 5-6 recently lapsed members per month to talk with them personally. Task force goals are to remind and encourage our colleagues to renew or, if someone's membership lapse was intentional, to ask why and/or learn what EAPA could do to earn their membership. Randi and Dotty will provide lists of names and contact information each month, as well as talking points, tips and FAQs. For more information, contact randi.wood@eapassn.org.
The delicate challenge of dealing with anger
Counseling Today
Though anger may be what brings individuals through the office or agency door initially, it is unlikely to remain the singular focus of the client's counseling path. Eventually, with the benefits of psychoeducation and personal insight, clients often realize that their anger is simply a more acceptable, "go-to" surface emotion that covers up deeper fears and sadness.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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Your employees are your largest and most important STAKEHOLDER in your EAP equation. One or two employees dropping in to say they used the EAP or a EAP Provider usage report is simply not enough to say your EAP is working. Survey your employees separate from your EAP Provider. Find out directly from all your employees.
www.EAPSurveys.com
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Paramedic's gritty blog tackles mental health woes
The Hamilton Spectator
An "ordinary" paramedic has seen an extraordinary reaction to his new blog. Shortly after it was posted recently, Dan Fleury's touching entry about his struggle with on-the-job stress was viewed more than 12,500 times in nearly four dozen countries. A 10-year veteran with Hamilton EMS in Ontario, Fleury launched The Life and Times of an Ordinary Paramedic as a way to document the toll his often grim line of work has on his personal and professional life. In his inaugural post he describes his suspicion that he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder — and explains why it took him several years to seek help.
Only half of US psychiatrists accept insurance
USA Today
The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover mental health care just as they do physical care, but a new study shows only half of psychiatrists accept insurance. That means access to care for the millions of people with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues may be limited to those who can pay for treatment out of their own pockets, despite the law.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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The Recovery Place provides a continuum of care from Residential services to PHP and IOP programs in traditional, dual-diagnosis, and Christian treatment programs. Our Medical Director, triple-board certified psychiatrist Dr. Ashish Bhatt, and our clinical teams develop individualized treatment plans with achievable objectives for our clients. (866) 463-5496 www.therecoveryplace.net
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Study: CBT not effective treatment for symptoms of schizophrenia
University of Hertfordshire via ScienceDaily
The most extensive study ever undertaken into the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on the symptoms of schizophrenia finds little impact, according to a team of international researchers. The study found only a small therapeutic effect of CBT on schizophrenic symptoms. This included the key "positive" symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, which CBT was originally developed to target.
Businesses set own course on legalized marijuana use
The Wall Street Journal
Recreational marijuana use became legal in Colorado on Jan. 1, but workers might want to wait before lighting up at the office — or anywhere else. Employers can still set and enforce their own drug rules, according to state law. At some firms that might mean workers can't smoke pot on the premises; at others, they may not be able to smoke during down time, either, because of regular drug tests.
SHOWCASE
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When employees need help with an addiction, you want to get them the help they need. Focus Treatment Centers provides the help they need. We are accredited by the Joint Commission, endorsed by the leading voices in chemical and behavioral addictions, and committed to providing the highest standard of care. Email
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Canadian federal agencies inconsistent with workplace medical marijuana rules
Postmedia News via National Post
A survey of Canadian federal agencies and departments with a connection to public safety has found no consistent policies regarding employees who use medical marijuana. The issue made national headlines recently when a Mountie in New Brunswick publicly complained about not being able to smoke medical marijuana while in uniform. The force subsequently stripped Cpl. Ron Francis, who says he uses medical marijuana to help him with post-traumatic stress disorder, of his red serge.
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
The reality of workplace drugs in America
The Huffington Post
There are numerous and subtle factors that make up the world of drug testings in America. The varieties of contingencies in the world of drugs and drug tests are in fact extensive and complex — as is inevitably any attempt to measure a large chunk of the population's use of the scores of "illicit" drugs out there along with the "licit" drugs that have gone black market. Beyond this there's the reality that different employers might use tests for say, heroin, that are set at a different sensitivity level of detection than the company across the street uses.
Trauma resilience can be taught
PsychCentral
Most of the mental and behavioral health field operates by identifying some sort of deficit or symptom to relieve. Positive Psychology seeks to help people elevate themselves to a higher level of functioning. It's not considered to be a substitute for traditional mental health, but has been found to be helpful to many, particularly in the area of resilience.
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7 reasons work stress and well-being drew attention in 2013
Forbes
Work overload, lack of career advancement, stagnant salaries, an increasing skills gap and the complexity of a high-tech global marketplace have all arguably played a roll in an underwhelmed and sometimes stressed-out workforce. Positive data also emerged in 2013 revealing ROI for companies offering employee assistance programs designed to help workers better manage stress, enhance well-being, increase engagement and boost performance.
Can a single study have such influence over ADHD treatment?
PsychCentral
Experts and specialists of a condition such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder rarely rely on a single study's results to help guide their treatment decisions. And even when they do, it's nearly always done within the context of a specific patient's individualized needs. So can a single study have such influence over the choice of treatments in ADHD?
UK doctors prescribing books to help treat depression, anxiety, other disorders
The Raw Story
Doctors have been prescribing books to help treat patients with depression in hopes that reading will help them find connections. Under a new program launched by Britain's National Health Service, primary care physicians may recommend specific titles to patients diagnosed with mild to moderate depression. "Bibliotherapy" is based in part on research by the Welsh psychiatrist, Dr. Neil Frude, who noticed that some of his patients had begun reading about their mental health conditions while awaiting treatment — and some of the self-help books appeared to help.
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