Feds want Medicaid money back

When needing mental health treatment, many of the nation's poor have been turned away at the door. A new move by the federal government may lock them out entirely, at least in Texas.
According to a story in today's Houston Chronicle, the feds have required the state to repay them $1.67 million in Medicaid reimbursements for inpatient psychiatric care. Medicaid does not provide for adults living in psychiatric institutions.
About 200 psychiatrists and institutions in the state received notices from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in June requesting the return of reimbursements from 2001 to 2007. A few individual practitioners received bills for $40,000 and one medical group was hit with a $130,000 demand, according to the article.
Will other states be next?Sphere: Related Content
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Münchausen mother convicted of murder

On June 19, a St. Louis circuit court jury convicted Judy Pickens of second-degree murder and five other felony counts in the poisoning of her children, underscoring that Münchausen by Proxy is, at least for now, not a viable legal defense.

The case began when Pickens' three-year-old son Mikal died in October 2004. Her lawyer sent a letter threatening to sue St. Louis Children's Hospital for his death. Ironically, Pickens' daughter Kheematah was in the hospital days after the letter was received.
Hospital workers were suspicious and an aide was assigned to the room. One staff member reported seeing Pickens putting a substance in her daughter's drink. Another reporter seeing her tamper with her intravenous tube and throw an empty syringe in the trash.
Pickens was ultimately charged with crushing her blood pressure pills and feeding them to her son and trying to poison her daughter.
A psychologist testified that her behavior fit the criteria for Münchausen by Proxy, a disorder in which someone deliberately makes another sick to command attention, often from doctors or other care providers.
Even though her actions may be the result of a mental disorder, Michael Armour, a forensic psychologist, testified that, "In my opinion, these are rational and deliberate behaviors." Münchausen by Proxy "would not exclude someone from taking responsibility for their actions."
See STLtoday.com for the full story.Sphere: Related Content
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"Death in slow motion": A Scientology exposé

The death of Lisa McPherson, is the subject of today's St. Petersburg Times' series on the Church of Scientology.
Titled "Death in Slow Motion," this second in a three-part series on Scientology explores how the church's "counseling" services may have led to the death of this 36-year-old follower.Sphere: Related Content
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State settlements called into question

As covered extensively in this blog, Georgia's mental health system has been under scrutiny and finally reached an agreement with the federal government to overhaul patient care (see "Georgia reaches agreement with feds.")
According to an NPR report today, however, the Justice Department's agreement with Georgia and five other states, including Hawaii, Washington, South Carolina, Tennessee and Connecticut, are on ice. According to the NPR report, "Advocacy groups say the terms of these last-minute settlements are inexcusably weak and that the agreements don't do enough to make sure the states fix their problems."Sphere: Related Content
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South Florida Sun-Sentinel comments on Florida's Baker Act

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel today called on the state's legislators to reform its mental health commitment law, the Baker Act, to mandate outpatient treatment and medication compliance. The full editorial is at the Baltimore Sun web site.Sphere: Related Content
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