ACT 613: LAMFT is proud to announce legislative license changes that were signed into law in 2010. Please use the link below to see ACT 613 for more details.
‘Making HIPAA Happen’
Louisiana has a link to an overview of HIPAA regulations, entitled ‘Making HIPAA Happen’ http://www.dhh.state.la.us/HIPAA/OMHversion.pdf and a website that details ‘Making HIPAA Happen’ http://www.dhh.state.la.us/HIPAA/index2.htm
Federal Legislative Alerts:
Use the link below to visit the AAMFT website to get the latest information on federal advocacy issues and alerts.
http://www.aamft.org/Advocacy/index_m.asp
Act Now to Get MFT’s into Medicare
Issue:
PHONE CALLS to your Senator or Representative are NEEDED IMMEDIATELY to show support for including MFTs in Medicare. Your Senator or Representative (listed below) sits on the Conference Committee that will make this critical decision and we need you to ACT NOW. For a complete list of contact numbers for the Senators and Representatives, go to http://www.house.gov/.
Background:
The United States Senate recently passed the Prescription Drug And Medicare
Improvement Act of 2003 which included a provision making Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Professional Counselors eligible providers for the Medicare program. The Medicare Prescription Drug bill that passed the House of Representatives did not contain this provision. All differences between the two bills – including inclusion of MFT’s and LPC’s – will be worked out in a Conference Committee, where a small number of Senators and Representatives will determine whether our provision remains in the bill or
is eliminated. You are a constituent of a Member of this Conference Committee and as a result your voice is of crucial importance.
Phone:
1) Your Senator or Representative and the phone number for their Washington D.C. office is included above. When your call is answered, ask to speak to the staff person who handles health issues.
2) Phone message-
As a constituent and Marriage and Family Therapist, I urge you to support the Conference Committee on the Medicare Prescription Drug bills the provision in the Senate bill that includes Marriage and Family Therapists in the Medicare program. This is crucial for access to mental health services in rural and underserved areas. Please support Medicare coverage of Marriage & Family Therapists by co-sponsoring the bipartisan “Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act,” S 784 and HR 1447. I also urge you to support including marriage and family therapist Medicare coverage in any bill considered by Congress to deal with other Medicare problems.
We cannot stress enough the importance of the timing of your communications. It is critically important that your Senator hears from you during the next 30 days while the provisions of this bill are being actively negotiated. Please e-mail an update of your actions to rmckeon@aamft.org.
Each and every voice counts!! Please have your voice heard! Act today!
* Senator Mary Landrieu – (202) 224-5824
* Senator David Vitter – (202) 224-4623
* Rep. William Jefferson – (202) 225-6636
* Rep. Jim McCrery – (202) 225-2777 or (318) 798-2254
If you have any questions or would like to know what you can do to help, send an email to any to the LAMFT Legislative Committee: Robyn Jardine-Randel, Scott Shelby, or Jessica Baudoin.
LEGISLATION AND POLICY
NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER (NPI) INFORMATION
All Health Care Providers Must Have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) Number
Family Therapist Policy Connector
Family Therapist Policy Connector is a quarterly Web-based newsletter is designed for those Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) who are passionate about legislatively promoting their profession at the federal, state, and/or local levels; a.k.a. – YOU! This publication is written in the spirit of keeping AAMFT advocates highly informed and engaged in ground-level activism. The more plugged-into the system you are, the better the opportunity for successful activities on behalf of your MFT policy interests.
To access this publication please go to: www.aamft.org/policyconnector.asp, log in and enjoy!
