I’ve been fairly stressed out this week.

The state of the American economy, the housing market, health insurance (or lack thereof), my yet-to-be paid off student loans – in other words, money (or again, lack thereof) – all have me freaking out just a bit about my future and my country’s future.

I didn’t used to worry about things like this. Of course, I don’t remember a time in my life when things ever seemed this bad.

Anyone else feeling the stress? Have some suggestions for mellowing out? I’d love to hear them.

In the meantime, let’s check out what’s going on in the world of mental health.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I told you about National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month and our blogging event to raise awareness, as well as shared my two spins on the second and ninth steps. I also pointed you in the direction of an article about pharmacists’ secrets, told you where you could get free, condensed summaries of health books, asked you what you thought of electronic medical records in light of Practice Fusion’s new program, and shared a funny.

Regarding mental health advocacy, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has made it easy for us to urge Congress to get moving on Mental Health Parity, the Consumers Union shared the story of Kim, a lady who struggled to get health insurance because she dared to use the mental health coverage her former policy offered, and Mental Health American released its Fall 2008 issue of The Bell.

In the world of mental health news, Ireland campaigners believe their government is seriously lacking resources for suicide prevention strategies, researchers claim pregnant women who experience even moderate amounts of stress are putting their babies at risk for lowered intellectual development, more teens are putting their brain development at risk with a rise in oxycodone and hydrocodone abuse, and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is developing self-guided, computer-based depression treatment.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, many of my fellow bloggers participated in our little event for National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Check out b5Media Salutes National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month to check out what they had to say!

Enjoy your Saturday (and if it’s anything like mine, i.e. rainy beyond belief, you’ll appreciate all the reading material).

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Stress Abounds

Back in August, Practice Fusion, a company that provides free, web-based physician practice solutions, launched the Practice Fusion Academic Program geared toward future physicians who need to get a taste of today’s technology and residents who’re seeking new patients but can’t afford to use the Electronic Medical Record solutions.

I sat on this information for a while, not sure how it related to mental health, and then spoke with Practice Fusion’s Chief Executive Officer Ryan Howard who informed me that Practice Fusion does have “a psychiatric module for [their] EMR system and a strong following in this specialty.”

Read on for the official press release, and then I’m wondering: Some believe EMR increases the level of care doctors provide patients, while some aren’t fond of it due to the privacy issues. What do you think of EMR? As a patient? Or a physician?

Academic Program Launch / University of West Florida Sign-up

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. Aug. 26th, 2008 – Practice Fusion, the leader in free, web-based physician practice solutions, today announced the launch of its Academic Program for Medical Universities, Students, Residents. Practice Fusion’s Academic Program is uniquely geared towards future physicians who have a need to understand medical technology, along with residents who are actively seeing patients but are not able to afford traditional, expensive Electronic Medical Record solutions.

“From a technology perspective, the healthcare industry is changing dramatically. As a result, there is an impending need for medical Universities, students and residents to be trained with the best tools available in order to provide the highest level of care possible,” said Ryan Howard, Chairman and CEO of Practice Fusion. He continued, “Our program is enormously beneficial, as we are capable of offering superior technology at no cost. This gives students and residents a competitive edge by having the ability to provide better-quality care to their patients, as well as be more profitable when they enter the workforce.”

Medical universities, students and residents are a segment of the medical professional community overlooked by existing Electronic Medical Record vendors. Practice Fusion’s award-winning Electronic Medical Record application offers a no-cost opportunity to be emerged into cutting-edge technologies, empowering medical students and residents to be fluent with technology, and ultimately, better prepared when they graduate.

“Our online certificate course requires a web based platform that is easy to learn and operate and is a fully functional electronic health record”, said Captain Robert Hoyt, MD, Associate Director and Instructor of University of Florida’s Naval Aerospace Medical Research Lab. He continued, “The University of West Florida has chosen Practice Fusion as the electronic health record for study by students taking the Introduction to Medical Informatics course.”

Medical Universities, students and residents can start using Practice Fusion in minutes by visiting: www.practicefusion.com.

About Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion addresses the critical needs of today’s healthcare environments by providing a revolutionary application and delivery model for physicians and patients at no cost. Practice Fusion’s award-winning, free, web-based applications require no on-site software, hardware and integration, eliminating the burden of supporting traditional enterprise software products. As a result, Practice Fusion dramatically reduces costs and complexities, enabling medical practitioners to deliver the highest level of care possible to their patients. For additional information, please visit www.practicefusion.com.
http://www.practicefusion.com/product.htm
http://www.practicefusion.com/practitioners.htm

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Post from: Blisstree

What Do You Think Of Electronic Medical Records?