August 19th, 2016
By Edward Stern J.D.
Massachusetts is taking another look at non-compete agreements. Historically, non-compete agreements were in place to limit an employee, who leaves the employment of a particular employer, from competing with that employer after his term of employment ends. The concept of these non-compete agreements was based on a belief that the employer has provided the employee with specific training or inside, proprietary information (such as trade secrets or customer-patient lists), which should be limited in its use competing against the employer. The countervailing pressure, in support of an employee going to a new position without any constraints, is that an employee [More]
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August 19th, 2016
By Alan Bodnar Ph.D.
At the risk of appearing to be living a cliché of the retired life, I must say that I have been spending more time these days reading obituaries. It could be because I have more time to read the morning paper and the obituaries are printed in the same section as the funnies. I always turn to the funnies after a brief glance at the bad news on the front page. Bad news can wait and, if I somehow miss it in the paper, that’s what television and Internet news programs are for. I also receive obituaries by email from [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Phyllis Hanlon
Neuropsychological testing has been used in a number of clinical areas to evaluate brain functioning and cognition. The Journal of Athletic Training cites neuropsychological testing as a proven method for assessing symptoms related to concussion. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult credits neuropsychological testing for its effectiveness in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. But more commonly, this evaluation tool is used to examine the overall cognitive, physical, behavioral and executive functioning abilities, among others, in children. In his practice, Greg Javornisky, Ph.D., pediatric neuropsychologist at the Connecticut Pediatric Neuropsychology Associates in Glastonbury, administers general intellect and achievement skills testing to pediatric patients from a developmental [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Janine Weisman
Connecticut insurers denied more behavioral health claims in 2014, according to an annual report card issued by the Connecticut Insurance Department. How much more depends on how you crunch the numbers. Each year since 2006, the state agency charged with regulating the insurance industry has issued a report card comparing Health Maintenance Organizations or HMOs and up to 15 insurers with the highest premium volume in Connecticut that offer managed care plans. The report compares the track record for each insurer on requests and denials for services and appeal outcomes. Managed care plans use a process called utilization review to [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Catherine Robertson Souter
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 13 to 20 percent of children in the U.S. experience a mental health disorder in a given year. It is a staggering number, exacerbated by the fact that treatment options for children are limited because of constraints on parents’ time and schedules or due to the limited availability of trained professionals. “If you look at this state,” said Nicholas Covino, Psy.D., president of William James College, (formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology), “if you are mom or dad, 70 percent of the time you can’t find mental health professionals to take care of [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Janine Weisman
Social psychologist Lori Scott-Sheldon, Ph.D., wanted to find out what interventions worked best to curb overdrinking among college fraternity and sorority members when she led a team of researchers to conduct a systematic review of the literature on such programs. The answer: none. The results of their study published online May 16 in the journal, Health Psychology concluded that a range of interventions to reduce drinking by student members of this at-risk group were about as effective as not doing any interventions at all. “Our goal really was to provide guidance to key stakeholders such as students, campus health educators [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Rivkela Brodsky
The New Hampshire State Prison for Men faces a lawsuit for housing people dealing with severe mental illnesses who have been civilly committed in its Secure Psychiatric Unit. The Treatment Advocacy Center – an Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit that works at a national level to change laws that affect getting treatment for people who have the most severe mental illnesses – said they plan to file soon. “We’re dealing with a constitutional issue and that is keeping civilly committed people in a prison system,” said Frankie Berger, director of advocacy for the center. “You’re not allowed to do that. These mentally [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Phyllis Hanlon
The Massachusetts Psychological Association and the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society have a long history of engaging with different insurance companies to advocate for practitioners, according to Roger F. Cohen, Ph.D., former member of the MPA/MNS Joint Advocacy Group. Cohen explained that the MPA and MNS together have done some “pivotal work” since the 1980s with a variety of insurers, including Tufts, United Healthcare and Blue Cross. “MPA and MNS joined together around issues of mutual concern,” he said. Collaboratively MPA and MNS have attempted to inform various insurers of the importance of neuropsychological testing and assessments. “Neuropsychological services have great potential [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Pamela Berard
The state is conducting a review in the aftermath of a stabbing spree that ended at Silver City Galleria mall in Taunton, Mass., that left three people dead and several others injured. Family members of the man accused of the stabbings – who was shot and killed during the May 10 incident after reportedly stabbing several individuals, two of whom died – reported that he had been taken by ambulance to Morton Hospital the night before for psychiatric issues and was released early the following morning, the day of the attacks. In a statement following the incident, Morton Hospital, part [More]
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July 1st, 2016
By Phyllis Hanlon
Citing the desire to fulfill an unmet need, Harrington Health Care System is planning to open a Dual Diagnosis Unit (DDU) for the treatment of individuals who have an addiction concurrent with a mental health crisis at its Webster, Massachusetts campus. Greg Mirhej, Harrington’s executive director for behavioral health, said, “Too often the care of those who suffer with both of these types of conditions is compartmentalized. Units, which are adept at treating the addiction spectrum of disorders, have limited access to qualified mental health care. Meanwhile, plenty of inpatient mental health units perform detox procedures for addiction, but few [More]
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