Latest Conference Articles

Both large and small causes of burnout need to be addressed, said Barbara Balik, EdD, MS, RN, co-founder of Aefina Partners and senior faculty at the Institute of Healthcare Improvement.

In a poster presentation at the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York, New York, May 10 to 12, researchers reported about an adjunctive investigational drug therapy for major depressive disorder, alone and together with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), in rats resistant to SSRIs.

The field of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has grown in recent years due to veterans returning from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and at the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York City, May 10 to 12, one of the nation’s leading experts decided to focus his presentation on the topic on memory consolidation.

Our knowledge of the human microbiome has only been developed over the past decade, according to Elaine Hsaio, PhD, assistant professor of integrative biology and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, at the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York City, May 10 to 12. Hsaio presented about how the microbiome influences brain function, development and behavior.

Martha Gaines, MD, JD, LLM, founder and director of The Center for Patient Partnerships, clinical professor of law, University of Wisconsin Law School, explains how The Center for Patient Partnerships helps patients understand their disease, identify their treatment options, and recognize resources available to them.

Chronic pain is a serious problem in the United States and particularly so for veterans. At the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York City, May 10 to 12, Jennifer C. Naylor, PhD, presented results from a randomized control trial of 92 veterans with chronic low back pain treated with pregnenolone or placebo.

In a poster presentation at the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York, New York, May 10 to 12, researchers reported on the ability of the addition of an opioid receptor antagonist to address the abuse potential of an adjunctive investigational drug therapy for major depressive disorder.

Unlike commercial plans, Medicare beneficiaries run the risk hitting the donut hole, which causes their costs to go up dramatically, said Paul Billings, senior vice president advocacy for the American Lung Association.

It is now known that early life stress may have an impact on adults later in life, and that men and women may respond to depression differently, but why that is so is not thoroughly understood. At the 73rd Annual Scientific Convention of the Society of Biological Psychiatry meeting in New York City, May 10 to 12, Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, gave an opening plenary called “Sex Differences in the Molecular Basis of Depression.”

There are ways to identify if a colleague is becoming burned out, but also ways people can identify burnout in themselves, explained Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, vice president for Performance Improvement at the American Medical Association (AMA).

There are 3 legislative priorities for the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) that keep the focus on the patient and ensure better care, explained Ted Okon, executive director of COA, at the 2018 Community Oncology Conference.

The purpose of evidence-based guidelines is to reduce the level of variation, improve outcomes, and reduce costs, said Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, president, Carolinas HealthCare System's Levine Cancer Institute.

ALKS 5461 has already demonstrated efficacy versus placebo as an adjunctive major depressive disorder treatment in short-term randomized clinical trials. In a poster, researchers reported on the long-term efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the proposed therapy.

Community practices are crucial for helping to increase diversity in clinical trials, said James Hamrick, MD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente and Flatiron Health.

There are financial burdens related to cancer treatment other than the cost of medication, but patients don't always realize that when they are first diagnosed, explained Michele McCourt, senior director of the CancerCare Co-Payment Assistance Foundation.

Two posters presented at the American Psychiatric Association's 2018 Annual Meeting examined the factors patients with schizophrenia consider when deciding whether or not to take their medications and outcomes of a new medication to treat patients with schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder.

At the American Psychiatric Association 2018 Annual Meeting, held in New York, New York, a panel addressed the role of digital innovation in delivering mental health care.

On Monday, May 7, during a poster session at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, researchers presented new data on the injectable antipsychotic treatment aripiprazole lauroxil (Aristada), which is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia.

The old ways that physicians used to coordinate care no longer work and the idea of just hiring 1 person to do it hasn’t been sufficient, said Barbara Tofani, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, administrative director of the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.

In a discussion during the American Psychiatric Association 2018 Annual Meeting, held in New York, New York, a panel of psychiatrists argued that private insurance is failing patients with mental health disorders, and that a single-payer system would provide better access and better care for the most seriously ill patients.

Practice reorganization can worsen clinician burnout, explained Mark Friedberg, MD, MPP, senior natural scientist and director of the Boston office at RAND Corporation, who also discussed his solutions for addressing burnout in the practice.

Since the Orphan Drug Designation program was passed in 1983, there have been over 600 orphan drug approvals, compared to less than 10 the decade before, said Stephen Jung, PharmD, BCPS, manager, drug information, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, during a session at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting.

In a talk on integrative healthcare for transgender populations during the American Psychiatric Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting, held in New York, New York, Hansel Arroyo, MD, director of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at the Institute for Advanced Medicine at the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, discussed the Institute’s approach to addressing mental health needs in the delivery of care.

During the American Psychiatric Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting, held in New York, New York, Patricia Newton, MD, MA, MPH, delivered the 2018 Solomon Carter Fuller Lecture, in which she discussed the challenges that face patients and psychiatrists of African descent.

During a workshop, panelists discussed outreach efforts, including Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, known as Project ECHO, to deliver psychiatric care to underserved patients in the United States and Canada.

Calvin Knowlton, BScPharm, MDiv, PhD, chief executive officer and founder of Tabula Rasa HealthCare, discusses who benefits most from the Enhanced Medication Therapy Management Model, how advances in technology have enhanced these services, and what best practices have been identified.

As The Commonwealth Fund celebrates 100 years, David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, looks back at the work it has done.

Posters presented at the American Psychiatric Association 2018 Annual Meeting highlight methods of treating patients with substance use disorder.

Mental health disorders are both a cause and a consequence of social determinants of health, and providing integrated care that addresses issues outside of the health system will require work at multiple levels, including clinical, policy, and finance, explained Benjamin G. Druss, MD, of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, a senior clinical consultant in Emerging Therapeutics for Express Scripts, discusses specialty drugs that have recently been approved, and which we will likely see approved in the remainder of the year.