Current Events

Critical Issues Series

The Critical Issues Series provided a curriculum inclusive of all areas of behavioral health care and its varied constituencies. Five presentations in 2008 were oriented around key policy questions and are more than a summary review of program activities or progress. The curriculum content is organized along the framework of the Institute of Medicine's report, Improving the Quality of Healthcare for Mental and Substance Use Conditions. The cornerstone of this strategic framework is the central role of patient-centered (consumer/person-centered care) and the redesign of health systems in this new paradigm.

• June 2, 2008 "A Delicate Balance: Patient Privacy, Behavioral Health, and the Need to Know" - Briefing paper

• July 21, 2008 "Enhancing the Quality Improvement Infrastructure for Behavioral Health" - Briefing paper

• August 11 "Delivery System Design and Payment Policy for Improved Coordination of Care" - Briefing paper

• September 8, 2008 "The Continuing Challenges of Reshaping the Behavioral Healthcare Workforce" - Briefing paper

• October 13, 2008 "Gazing Into an Opague Crystal Ball: The Next Administration and Congress, Mental Health Financing Strategies, and Some Future Scenarios" - Briefing paper