The Commonwealth of Kentucky has signed contracts with Coventry Cares, Humana, Passport and Wellcare of Kentucky to provide health care services to approximately 175,000 Medicaid recipients in Louisville and 15 surrounding counties. These managed care organizations (MCOs) will provide services in Region 3, which is comprised of Breckinridge, Bullitt, Carroll, Grayson, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, Larue, Marion,…
A case for electronic health records
For over a decade federal health officials have been working with healthcare providers to establish electronic patient health records as an industry standard of easily accessible paperless files. The government has sweetened the initiative by opening up $27 billion in financial incentives for the healthcare industry to make this switch. However, the cost and time…
Treating depression today
By Charles Bensenhaver, M.D. About 17.5 percent of adults will suffer from major depression in their lifetime. While depression is more widely recognized and treated today, that statistic has remained consistent for the past 20 to 30 years. The protocol for treating depression hasn’t changed much either since the development of medications like Prozac in…
Medicaid Managed Care
by Sheila A. Schuster, Ph.D. “Medicaid Managed Care is coming!” The chant resonated through the halls of Frankfort at the conclusion of the 2011 Kentucky General Assembly Special Session. This was our salvation—the way out of a huge deficit in Medicaid and its escalating costs. The way to avoid dumping individuals off the Medicaid rolls…
UofL degree in public health/urban planning to support community health effort
The University of Louisville is admitting students to a new master’s degree program that combines public health and urban planning. Designed to educate future professionals about how infrastructure and design affects the health and well-being of the community, graduates of the program receive two degrees: Master of Urban Planning (MUP) and Master of Public Health…
What we don’t talk about
By Diane Hague, LCSW, CADC I shared with a colleague that I was writing this piece and asked his advice. He said, “Tell them addiction treatment works. Ask folks if they’re willing to pay for it. Tell them we all pay in one way or another –we can either fund treatment or see increasing productivity…