Articles, Leading Stories
New England states limit painkiller prescriptions
By Janine Weisman
In March 2016, Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to enact a law limiting first-time opioid medication prescriptions for adults and all opioid...
Bed reduction plan at UMass Memorial Medical Center causes outcry
By Susan Gonsalves
UMass Memorial Medical Center’s plan to convert 13 of 28 psychiatric beds to medical surgery beds has met with widespread opposition.
Alita Care, LLC acquires Bournewood Health Systems
By Pamela Berard
Bournewood Health Systems of Brookline, Massachusetts, will broaden its continuum of care as a result of its recent acquisition by Alita Care, LLC, of Phoenix,...
Portsmouth Regional Hospital expands involuntary admissions beds
By Pamela Berard
Responding to a greater need for inpatient services and prolonged wait times for emergency psychiatric care across the state of New Hampshire, Portsmouth...
State auditor’s office cites issues with MassHealth payments
By Phyllis Hanlon
In April, the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) released a report that evaluated payments MassHealth made for mental health services rendered between July 1,...
App designed to predict aggressive behavior
By Catherine Robertson Souter
In 2014, a group of parents in California sued a neighbor over the problem behaviors of their autistic child.
According to one report,...
Bill would allow supervision-free practice under Medicare
By Rivkela Brodsky
Federal legislation introduced in the House and Senate in February would allow psychologists to practice independent of physician supervision under...
Study: patients prefer psychotherapy over drugs
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Add one more piece of data to the on-going debate about the efficacy of pharmaceutical medication versus therapy to treat mental illness.
Study: Tablet use reduces agitation in dementia patients
By Susan Gonsalves
The idea of using tablet devices as an intervention for older adults, including those with severe dementia, was partially born at a restaurant dinner table,...
UVM study links childhood emotional abuse to adult opioid use
By Phyllis Hanlon
Researchers at the University of Vermont (UVM) have found a correlation between emotional abuse endured during childhood with future opioid use as an...