The 54th National Dialogues on Behavioral Health Conference Prepares Behavioral Health Organizations for Evolving Markets on Eve of ACA Implementation
New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) September 18, 2013 -- The National Dialogues on Behavioral Health Conference (NDBHC) embarks on its 54th year as a historic forum for high-profile policymakers, physicians, behavioral health providers and members of the behavioral health community to converge and discuss the current and future state of the evolving federal, state, and local healthcare systems.
This year’s conference marquee discussion, "The Evolving World of Behavioral Health on the Eve of ACA Implementation," is geared to provide poignant discourse on the expectations and preparatory measures organizations can take to navigate the emerging behavioral health and medical markets in the context of the pending Affordable Care Act implementation.
"Mounting regulatory changes in 2013 and 2014 are driving organizations to adapt at an unprecedented pace," said Mary E. Smith, Ph.D., NDBH committee president. "Our focus of this year’s NDBHC is to ensure organizations are empowered to deliver high-quality services and remain accountable in the face of the evolving markets.”
This year's event is to be held Nov. 10-13, 2013, at the Renaissance Arts Hotel in New Orleans, La. The conference's agenda includes relevant topics such as strategies for addressing Olmstead lawsuits and settlements; health insurance enrollment strategies with a focus on the new state marketplaces; strategies for integrating primary and behavioral health; and the role of managed care companies in Medicaid and current healthcare reform. The conference will host more than 15 different speakers from varying healthcare domains.
"Everyone from consumers and providers to HIT vendors and federal, state and local policymakers will need to have the knowledge and preparation to adapt alongside this evolving system," said James Dunaway, NDBH committee member and the chief information officer of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. "Our goal for the conference is to provide a real roadmap for folks where they feel confident in their business processes and decisions."
About NDBH
National Dialogues on Behavioral Health (NDBH), was originally organized as the Southern Regional Conference on Mental Health (SRCMHS) by 14 southern governors in 1958, with the mission to improve the quality of data and the quality of care provided to persons served in state mental hospitals.
Operating through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the SRCMHS responded to a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) initiative - the Model Reporting Area for Mental Hospital Statistics – to develop to improve data quality and uniformity. A committee formed under the leadership of Cecil Wurster of Louisiana and later of NIMH recommended SRCMHS’s formation. Although not generally known, the concept of mental health program evaluation was fostered and developed in SRCMHS during its first 25 years. Today, NDBH provides a forum for discussion regarding critical issues in the behavioral health field.
To learn more and register for the conference, please visit http://nationaldialoguesbh.org
James Dunaway, National Dialogues on Behavioral Health, http://nationaldialoguesbh.org/, 3035410311, [email protected]
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