An Employers Guide to Behavioral Health Services

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An Employers Guide to Behavioral Health Services

• A Presentation
• by
• Ron Finch, EdD
• Vice President
• National Business Group on Health
• February 17, 2006

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National Business Group on Health

• National Voice of Large Employers
• Practical Business Solutions
• Innovative Strategies
• Share Best Practices
• Influence Policy Consistent with Solutions

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National Business Group on Health

• 245 members
• 62 of Fortune 100
• Provide health coverage to over 52 million
  workers, retirees and family members
• Founded in 1974

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Background

• Delivery of behavioral health services is
  difficult
• Rapid change in industry
• Benefit design
• Managed Care
• Change in employer structure
• Downsizing and reorganization
• ResultBehavioral health benefits are fragmented,
  uncoordinated, duplicative, and uneven in access
  and quality
• Primary Care is de facto behavioral health system

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Purpose of Guide

• Blueprint of actionable strategies and
  recommendations for employers to create and
  implement a system of affordable, effective
  behavioral health services
• System Includes
• Health Plan Benefits
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Disability Management
• Prevention and Health Promotion

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Specifics

• Improve coordination among health management
  programs and vendors
• Standardize the delivery of behavioral health
  services and programs in general medical and BH
  settings
• Include evidence-based modalities
• Develop enhanced programs and measures of
  continuous quality improvement

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Goals

• Help employers
• Increase and maintain employee health status
• Manage employee productivity
• Control the costs of healthcare and disability
• Provide employees, beneficiaries and families
  with high-quality and efficient behavioral health
  benefits and services

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Approach

• National Committee for Employer-Sponsored
  Behavioral Health Services
• 25 benefits and healthcare experts
• Review current state of behavioral health
  services
• Recommendations to improve design, quality,
  structure and integration of programs and services

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The Behavioral Healthcare Table
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Health Plan Recommendations

• Improve delivery of care
• Documentation and Monitoring
• Screen for Co-Morbidity
• Track Patient Progress
• Implement Collaborative Care
• Improve collaboration
• Specialty Care
• Disease Management Screening Coordination

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Health Plan Recommendations

• Improve benefit design
• Equalize behavioral health benefits
• Reimburse non-psychiatric physicians
• Improve accuracy quality of psychotropic
  medication
• Adopt best-practice guideline
• Annual review of providers
• Review of formulary

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Health Plan Recommendations

• Improve Behavioral Health for SMI
• Inpatient Care
• Case Management
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Therapeutic nursery
• Therapeutic group homes

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Disability Management Recommendations

• Short-and Long-Term Disability
• Require behavioral health specialist involved in
  certification of psychiatric disability
• Require behavioral health specialist approve
  treatment plan and conduct periodic review of
  progress
• Refer employees to EAP

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Employee Assistance Program Recommendations

• Reduce redundancies and restructure EAP
• Support management in addressing problems of
  productivity and absenteeism
• Assist in design and development of health
  promotion programs and materials
• Functionally integrate with health plan,
  disability and health promotion
• Provide short-term counseling services
• Conduct organization assessments and structure
  interventions