In an editorial, the Washington Post (7/31) observed that the number of people with mental illnesses “in many detention facilities – local jails, especially – has been soaring, forcing the institutions into the role of treatment centers, for which they are unprepared.” To prevent strain on its jail and to stop incarcerating people with mental illness “who commit relatively minor crimes,” Montgomery County, MD “is moving swiftly to establish mental-health courts.” The goal “is to divert qualified defendants charged with nonviolent crimes…from jail to supervised treatment regimens.” The Post hailed the plan as an “excellent idea.”

Related Links:

— “A step forward for mentally ill defendants,” Editorial Board, Washington Post, July 31, 2016.

MedPage Today (7/29, Harris) reported, “Locked inpatient wards do not reduce suicide attempts or unauthorized absence among patients with mental illness,” researchers found after conducting “a 15-year observational study of approximately 145,000 cases.” The findings were published online July 28 in The Lancet Psychiatry. An accompanying commentary “agreed that ‘the authors are surely justified in concluding that locked doors do not seem to provide the anticipated protection.’”

Related Links:

— “Locked inpatient wards do not reduce suicide attempts,” Scott Harris, MedPage Today, July 29, 2016.

Kaiser Health News (7/28, Dembosky) reports that some 43 million people in the US “suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions,” according to data from the Federal government, but more than 50 percent of those “who felt like they needed help last year, never got it.” Even those with insurance “complained of barriers to care.” The article says the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act and the Affordable Care Act were supposed to address this problem. Under the laws, insurers must provide comparable benefits for mental health and physical health conditions. Yet, “advocates say insurance companies are still finding ways to keep people who need care from getting it.”

Related Links:

— “Single Mom’s Search For Therapist Foiled By Insurance Companies,” April Dembosky, Kaiser Health News, July 28, 2016.

Modern Healthcare (7/28, Dickson, Subscription Publication) reports inpatient psychiatric facilities will see a 2.2 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement, a “$100 million raise” that exceeds the 1.5 percent or $80 million increase they received this year. According the most recent federal data available, Medicare payments to inpatient psychiatric facilities were estimated to be $4.4 billion in 2012, up from $3.9 billion in 2008. Facilities should expect an increase in Medicaid payments in 2017 “now that a 50-year ban on mental health institutions was successfully repealed earlier this year.”

Related Links:

— “Psych facilities get $100 million Medicare raise next year,” Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare, July 28, 2016.

MedPage Today (7/28, Fiore) reports, “Intense vascular risk management failed to prevent dementia,” investigators found. The findings of the 3,526-patient study were simultaneously presented at the Alzheimer’s Association Annual Conference and published online July 26 in The Lancet.

Related Links:

— “No Dementia Prevention With Vascular Care,” Kristina Fiore , MedPage Today, July 28, 2016.