Quality measurement and accountability for substance abuse and mental health services in managed care organizations. 2002

Elizabeth Levy Merrick, and Deborah W Garnick, and Constance M Horgan, and Dominic Hodgkin
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, MS 035 Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA. merrick@brandeis.edu

OBJECTIVE To analyze managed care organizations' (MCOs') use of behavioral health quality management activities using nationally representative survey data. METHODS The primary data source is the Brandeis Survey on Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Services in MCOs. Using a sampling strategy designed for national estimates, we surveyed 434 MCOs in 60 market areas (response rate = 92%) regarding their commercial products' behavioral health services in 1999. Of these, 417 MCOs reported clinically oriented information for 752 products. We investigated the use of four behavioral health quality management activities: patient satisfaction surveys, clinical outcomes assessment, performance indicators, and practice guidelines. chi tests and logistic regression were used to determine effects of product type (HMO, PPO, point-of-service) and behavioral health contracting arrangement (specialty contract, comprehensive contract including general medical and behavioral health, internal provision). RESULTS Three-quarters of products used patient satisfaction surveys (70.1%), performance indicators (72.7%), and practice guidelines (73.8%) for behavioral health. Under half (48.9%) assessed clinical outcomes. HMO products were most likely, and PPOs least likely, to conduct activities. Quality activities were significantly more common among specialty-contract products. Logistic regression showed significant negative effects on quality activity use for PPO and POS products compared with HMOs. For clinical outcomes, specialty- and comprehensive-contract arrangements had significant positive effects. There were interactions between product type and contract arrangement. CONCLUSIONS Most commercial managed care products use patient satisfaction surveys, performance indicators, and practice guidelines for behavioral health, whereas clinical outcomes assessment is less common. Product type and contracting arrangements significantly affect use of these activities.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008329 Managed Care Programs Health insurance plans intended to reduce unnecessary health care costs through a variety of mechanisms, including: economic incentives for physicians and patients to select less costly forms of care; programs for reviewing the medical necessity of specific services; increased beneficiary cost sharing; controls on inpatient admissions and lengths of stay; the establishment of cost-sharing incentives for outpatient surgery; selective contracting with health care providers; and the intensive management of high-cost health care cases. The programs may be provided in a variety of settings, such as HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS and PREFERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS. Case Management, Insurance,Insurance Case Management,Managed Health Care Insurance Plans,Managed Care,Care, Managed,Managed Care Program,Management, Insurance Case,Program, Managed Care,Programs, Managed Care
D008605 Mental Health Services Organized services to provide mental health care. Mental Hygiene Services,Health Services, Mental,Services, Mental Health,Services, Mental Hygiene,Health Service, Mental,Hygiene Service, Mental,Hygiene Services, Mental,Mental Health Service,Mental Hygiene Service,Service, Mental Health,Service, Mental Hygiene
D011787 Quality of Health Care The levels of excellence which characterize the health service or health care provided based on accepted standards of quality. Pharmacy Audit,Quality of Care,Quality of Healthcare,Audit, Pharmacy,Care Quality,Health Care Quality,Healthcare Quality,Pharmacy Audits
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003284 Contract Services Outside services provided to an institution under a formal financial agreement. Services, Contract,Contract Service,Service, Contract
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D016009 Chi-Square Distribution A distribution in which a variable is distributed like the sum of the squares of any given independent random variable, each of which has a normal distribution with mean of zero and variance of one. The chi-square test is a statistical test based on comparison of a test statistic to a chi-square distribution. The oldest of these tests are used to detect whether two or more population distributions differ from one another. Chi-Square Test,Chi Square Distribution,Chi Square Test,Chi-Square Distributions,Chi-Square Tests,Distribution, Chi-Square,Distributions, Chi-Square,Test, Chi-Square,Tests, Chi-Square
D016015 Logistic Models Statistical models which describe the relationship between a qualitative dependent variable (that is, one which can take only certain discrete values, such as the presence or absence of a disease) and an independent variable. A common application is in epidemiology for estimating an individual's risk (probability of a disease) as a function of a given risk factor. Logistic Regression,Logit Models,Models, Logistic,Logistic Model,Logistic Regressions,Logit Model,Model, Logistic,Model, Logit,Models, Logit,Regression, Logistic,Regressions, Logistic
D016320 Substance Abuse Treatment Centers Health facilities providing therapy and/or rehabilitation for substance-dependent individuals. Methadone distribution centers are included. Drug Abuse Treatment Centers,Drug Treatment Centers,Rehabilitation Centers, Drug,Drug Rehabilitation Center,Drug Rehabilitation Centers,Rehabilitation Center, Drug,Treatment Centers, Drug,Treatment Centers, Drug Abuse,Treatment Centers, Substance Abuse,Center, Drug Rehabilitation,Center, Drug Treatment,Centers, Drug Rehabilitation,Centers, Drug Treatment,Drug Treatment Center,Treatment Center, Drug

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