WASHINGTON, DC, (December 12, 2005) - The National Business Group on Health, a national non-profit organization, today released An Employer´s Guide to Behavioral Health Services, the culmination of a year-long study of employer-sponsored behavioral health services. The Guide provides employers with findings and recommendations that will enable them to maximize the quality, effectiveness and appropriateness of behavioral health services.
"Employers, like all purchasers, can use their leverage to improve the design, financing and delivery of behavioral health care in the U.S.," Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, said at a news conference today where the Guide was released. "All health services, including behavioral healthcare, are fragmented, uncoordinated, duplicative, and highly uneven in terms of effectiveness, access and quality, but behavioral health benefits have particularly complicated problems and challenges that need to be addressed. These recommendations will help employers and employees receive much higher quality and value for their substantial investment in behavioral health benefits."
Funded by the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the study was conducted by the National Committee on Employer-Sponsored Behavioral Health Services, a 24-member committee of benefits and healthcare experts. The National Business Group on Health formed the committee to review the current state of employer-sponsored behavioral health services and develop recommendations to improve the design, quality, structure and integration of programs and services.
"Employers have been at the forefront of improving the quality of healthcare services they sponsor for their workers," said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services. "In the past, most employers have focused their attention on general healthcare services. Now, as our study and the statistics clearly indicate, employers need to focus on the behavioral health services they provide."
An Employer´s Guide to Behavioral Health Services is a roadmap of actionable strategies and recommendations employers can use to examine current services and develop contracting requirements to create and implement effective and high-quality behavioral health services. The Guide´s recommendations provide a process for employers to examine their current behavioral health benefits and services and to develop contracting requirements to guide their selection of future vendors including health plans, Managed Healthcare Organizations, Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organizations, disability managers, Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Employee Assistance Programs
The Guide includes 12 key findings from the committee´s study and 18 specific recommendations. Specifically, the Guide provides information for employers to:
-- Standardize the delivery of behavioral health services and programs, whether delivered in the general medical setting or in the behavioral health system, and ensure that all patients receive effective, high quality services.
-- Structure collaboration between general medical providers and behavioral health specialists to improve clinical outcomes
-- Include evidence-based treatment modalities in behavioral health benefit structures
-- Develop enhanced programs and measures of continuous quality improvement
-- Promote quality and accuracy in the practice of prescribing psychotropic drugs
-- Improve the efficacy of disease management programs for chronic medical conditions by including behavioral health screening and treatment.
"Mental health and substance abuse disorders currently cost U.S. employers billions of dollars annually in lost worker productivity. This is a great opportunity for employers to improve the quality of their behavioral healthcare services and help ensure that their employees and family members have the best access to needed health services. All will benefit if we reduce the terrible burden of depression and other serious mental health problems that sap strength, productivity and a decent quality of life out of employees and their families. There has never been a more important time to address these problems," concluded Darling.
Summaries of the key findings and recommendations for health plans, disability management vendors, and employee assistance programs are attached and may also be found in the Guide´s Executive Summary. The complete Guide is available at www.businessgrouphealth.org.
About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health, representing 240 mostly large employers, is the nation´s only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to finding innovative and forward-thinking solutions to large employers´ most important health care and related benefits issues. The Business Group identifies and shares best practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related paid time off and work/life balance issues. National Business Group on Health members provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families.
About the Department of Health and Human Services´ Center for Mental Health Services
The Center for Mental Health Service (CMHS) is the Federal agency within the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that leads national efforts to improve prevention and mental health treatment services for all Americans. CMHS pursues its mission by helping States improve and increase the quality and range of treatment, rehabilitation, and support services for people with mental health problems, their families, and communities.
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Source: HRmarketer.com