Society for Digital Mental Health

Despite the exponential increase in psychologists’ use of telehealth, literature has highlighted variable degrees of preparation among them to guide their digital practices, especially as they relate to data security. To address this gap, SDMH member Jonathan Perle, Ph.D., ABPP, Will Frye, PhD, BCB, ABPP, and Tyler McCoy provided a consolidated, psychologist-focused guide for data security recommendations that align with HIPAA and HITECH in efforts to support ethical and legal telehealth practices. Summarized topics include: network controls, continuous data protection programs, data backup and recovery, passwords, encryption, business associate agreements, technological administrators, and data breach reporting methods. Link to the article here: https://lnkd.in/eVvKW7yq

At 12pm ET this upcoming Friday (July 19), the Center for Open Science (COS) and University of Virginia TYDE (Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment) invite researchers who are interested in advancing understanding of the relationships between social media engagement and mental health to a free, virtual webinar that will highlight methodological advances in this field that can allow for stronger conclusions than have been possible with many traditional study designs. This event will feature diverse methodologies/analytic approaches, and presenters will discuss the kinds of research questions these approaches are best suited to answer, their requirements (e.g., assumptions to be met, sample sizes needed, high speed computing demands), and their pros/cons. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e2bjT7mJ

NEWS Update! In their announcement of the proposed 2025 Fee Schedule (see link and refer to section: Behavioral Health Services), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed new rules that would provide new billing codes that would integrate DMH tools into Medicare coverage. The final rule is expected in November. Briefly, the proposal includes: 1. New Billing Code: A new code, GMBT1, will be established for supplying DMH devices. This implements a "buy and bill" model where clinicians purchase the device from manufacturers, provide it to patients, and then bill Medicare. 2. Payment Determination: Medicare Administrative Contractors will be responsible for setting the payment rates for the new GMBT1 code. 3. Provider Reimbursement: Two additional codes will be introduced, modeled after, and priced similarly to Remote Therapeutic Monitoring treatment management codes. These will compensate providers for time spent managing patients and evaluating treatment responses. 4. FDA Clearance: DMH tools must be cleared by the FDA and specifically intended for treating or alleviating mental health conditions. 5. Clinical Prescription: A clinician must prescribe or order the DMH tool as part of a comprehensive behavioral health treatment plan. https://lnkd.in/eCcWDUmJ

Read the new message from Shelli Avenevoli, acting director at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), about how NIMH is supporting and driving innovation in #digitalmentalhealth through a variety of #funding opportunities for #smallbusinesses ➡ https://lnkd.in/ghmdTAvw

🧠 Digital Mental Health Research Update: Improvement and Maintenance of Clinical Outcomes in a Digital Mental Health Platform: Findings from an Observational Real-World Study A recent observational, real-world study co-authored by SDMH members Sara Sagui-Henson, PhD and Cynthia Castro Sweet found that Modern Health, an employer-sponsored #digitalmentalhealth platform, significantly improved #mentalhealth outcomes for employees with #depression and #anxiety, while effectively matching individuals to appropriate care levels and allowing flexible service use based on their needs. Read more HERE ➡ https://lnkd.in/eBgqe7Ty

📢 JOB OPPORTUNITY 📢 Modern Health is looking for a Lead Clinical Data Analyst to join their Analytics team. The person in this role would report to the Analytics Manager and work cross-functionally with the Clinical Strategy & Research team and the Product and Go-To-Market teams for all clinical data needs. The role's primary responsibilities include: 1) Evaluating member utilization and outcomes to maintain clinical rigor and drive product improvements and revenue growth. 2) Analyzing member data to understand which products and services lead to improved clinical results, and share key insights and ideas on how to continuously improve member outcomes with relevant stakeholders across varying levels of leadership. 3) Conducting statistical analyses to support clinical and scientific research. 4) Creating a compelling story around member outcomes and the value proposition. Find out more about this position here ➡ https://lnkd.in/g6HdFB6r

📢 POST-DOC OPPORTUNITY 📢 The Stigma Resistance Coalition (SRC) Program at Mass General Hospital Psychiatry's Depression Clinical and Research Program is seeking a post-doctoral research fellow. 🌎 The post-doc would be working with Aderonke Bamgbose Pederson (apederson@mgh.harvard.edu) at the SRC, which is focused on studying social determinants of health and expanding access to #mentalhealthcare for #Blackadults 📅 Start date in the summer/fall 2024 🧠 The position is also open to doctoral students who are completing their PhD and expecting to graduate soon Find more here ➡ https://lnkd.in/gWTYHGZx

Join us on July 19, 2024, at 12:00 pm ET for a free virtual webinar hosted by the Center for Open Science (COS) and the University of Virginia (UVA) Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE). This event will highlight methodologies to advance understanding of the relationships between social media engagement and youth mental health. Register today: https://bit.ly/3VAdHaQ. 

Another superb panel at the 2024 Society for Digital Mental Health Conference!  AI & Large Language Models in Digital Mental Health: Potential Benefits and Harms, Ethics, and Health Equity. The discussion featured a stellar line-up of entrepreneurs and academics Alison Cerezo, Nick Jacobson, Chris Hemphill, Hannah Lawrence, and Ollie Smith, moderated by Kay Nikiforova. Panelists highlighted the unique potential for AI and LLM to fundamentally improve access to care and eliminate health inequities. They also noted how AI and LLM improved engagement with interventions. While concerns about biased systems and algorithms persist, panelists mentioned their hopes about future development centered around data and teams diversity. Concerns about risk minimization also were addressed, but panelists underscored the extraordinary potential of AI for assessing risk in real time and respond immediately. They also addressed the importance of regulation in the space so that development is actually done for the right outcomes and not to just increase engagement with AI and LLM tools. "AI and LLM tech is super new. These systems are in the worst shape they will ever be. These systems are only going to get better, so the promise for digital mental health is extraordinary" #sdmh2024

Did you attend the poster sessions today at #sdmh2024?! We had some wonderful presentations! 📱 During Tracks 7 & 8 on Evaluating the Effectiveness and Quality of Digital Tools, we were introduced to a great variety of novel digital interventions developed for numerous different patient populations. We also heard interesting research highlighting the within-day stability of EMA scores of depressive symptoms, calling for a consideration to balance EMA demands from participants while accurately capturing participants' experiences in the data. ❗ A compelling theme that emerged across Tracks 9 & 10 on Integrating Digital Services in Healthcare Systems was the pros and cons of using AI to augment digital interventions and facilitate data analysis. 🧠 Track 11: Understanding and Treating Anxiety and Mood Disorders showcased innovative digital approaches and interventions in analysing and treating mood and anxiety disorders. Early results show promise in these approaches disseminated on various digital platforms, including mobile- apps, EHRs, and social media. The session called for future, more controlled studies that set benchmarks for rigorous evaluations of interventions.