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Biomedical subjects

Constance M Horgan

Publications and source records attributed to Constance M Horgan.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Managed care organizations' use of treatment management strategies for outpatient mental health care.

A nationally representative sample of managed care organizations was surveyed (response rate=92%) regarding use of treatment management techniques for outpatient mental health care in their commercial products in 1999. Bivariate tests and logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between product type, behavioral health contracting arrangement and treatment management techniques (prior authorization, standards for time to initial appointment, concurrent review, standards for follow-up after discharge, case management, practice guidelines). Prevalence varied from 43% to 87% depending on the technique. HMO products and products with specialty behavioral health contracts were more likely to use the techniques. Product type and contracting arrangement had independent effects.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2006

Performance measures for alcohol and other drug services.

Performance measures, which evaluate how well health care practitioners' actions conform to practice guidelines, medical review criteria, or standards of quality, can be used to improve access to treatment and the quality of treatment for people with alcohol and other drug problems. This article examines different types of quality measures, how they fit within the continuum of care, and the types of data that can be used to arrive at these measures. The Washington Circle measures--identification, initiation of treatment, and treatment engagement--are a widely used set of performance measures.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2004

The impact of employment counseling on substance user treatment participation and outcomes.

The nationally representative Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS, 1996--1999) is used to examine employment counseling's impact on treatment participation and on postdischarge abstinence and employment. Employment counseling (EC) is among the more frequently received ancillary services in substance user treatment. The ADSS study sample showed it was received by 13% of all (N=988) nonmethadone outpatient clients, and 42% of the 297 clients with a need for it. Clients who received needed EC (met need) are compared to clients who did not receive needed EC (unmet need). Met-need clients had significantly longer treatment duration and greater likelihood of employment postdischarge than unmet-need clients. Both groups were as likely to complete treatment and be abstinent at follow-up. Implications are discussed. Future needed research and unresolved critical issues are also noted.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cost sharing for substance abuse and mental health services in managed care plans.

Recent initiatives to improve private insurance coverage for substance abuse and mental health in the United States have mostly focused on equalizing coverage limits to those found in general medical care. Federal law does not address cost sharing (copayments and coinsurance), which may also deter needed care or impose significant financial burdens on enrollees. This article reports on cost sharing requirements for outpatient care in a nationally representative sample of managed care plans in 1999. Levels of cost sharing are substantial, with around 40 percent of products requiring copayments of $20 or more and another 15 percent requiring coinsurance of 50 percent. Cost sharing for outpatient substance abuse treatment is very similar to that for mental health. Compared to general medical care, at least 30 percent of products impose higher cost sharing for substance abuse and mental health treatment. Future parity initiatives should be examined for how they address differences in cost sharing as well as limits.

Cost Sharing↗
PubMed2002

Selecting data sources for substance abuse services research.

In this article we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of using different types of data sources for alcohol and drug abuse services research. To do this, we describe four types of data sources used in substance abuse services research: surveys of organizations, medical records, claim and encounter data and program-level administrative data. For each, we outline where to obtain data, how each type has been used, and the advantages and challenges. This overview should allow investigators to think more critically about the datasets they now use; providers to understand the types of data sources most appropriate for specific research questions so as to participate more fully in research; and policy makers to interpret correctly results based on different types of data. Moreover, it should foster better communication among these stakeholders in collaborative projects to improve the effectiveness of services for people with addictions.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2002

Establishing the feasibility of performance measures for alcohol and other drugs.

The Washington Circle (a multiple-disciplinary group of providers, researchers, managed care representatives, and public policy representatives) examined three performance measures for alcohol and other drug (AOD) services. These measures, which were developed and applied to managed care organizations' administrative data for their commercial enrollees, are: (a) identification, the percent of adult enrollees with AOD diagnoses; (b) initiation, the percent of adults with an inpatient AOD admission or with an index outpatient visit for AOD abuse or dependence and any additional AOD services within 14 days of identification; and (c) engagement, the percent of adults diagnosed with AOD disorders that receives two additional AOD services within 30 days of the initiation of care. We conclude that using administrative databases to compare managed care organizations' performance is feasible, meaningful and informative. The article discusses issues in interpreting performance measures in several areas: organizational structure of alcohol and other drug services, information available for measurement, and computational issues.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

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

OBJECTIVES: To analyze managed care organizations' (MCOs') use of behavioral health quality management activities using nationally representative survey data. MATERIALS AND 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.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2002

Effects of managed care on alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment.

The article represents the proceedings of a symposium at the 2001 RSA Meeting in Montreal, Canada. The organizer/chair was Stephen Magura. The presentations examined: (1) How managed care organization policies may affect enrollees' use of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment, by Constance Horgan and associates; (2) The determinants of patients' access to and utilization of AOD treatment in a large health maintenance organization, by Jennifer R. Mertens and Constance Weisner; (3) The impact on treatment access and costs of a statewide carve-out for AOD treatment for Medicaid, by Donald Shepard and associates; and (4) The predictive validity of a new patient assessment technology developed, in part, to better justify AOD treatment in response to the demands of managed care, by Stephen Magura and associates.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed2002

Managed care plans' requirements for screening for alcohol, drug, and mental health problems in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine managed care organizations' (MCOs) requirements for screening for alcohol, drug, or mental health problems in primary care settings. STUDY DESIGN: A telephone survey was used to gather information on the 3 largest commercial products offered by MCOs. Products included health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, and point-of-service plans. METHODS: Managed care organizations were asked whether their products required screening for alcohol, drug, or mental health problems in primary care settings. Chi-square tests were performed to ascertain whether screening requirements, the distribution of practice guidelines, and the topics addressed in those guidelines varied by product type and contracting with specialty behavioral health vendors. The data were weighted to produce national estimates. RESULTS: Only 14.9% of the products surveyed required any alcohol, drug, or mental health screening by primary care practitioners. Slightly more than half of all the products surveyed distributed practice guidelines that addressed mental illness, and about one third distributed substance abuse practice guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Although the feasibility, utility, and effectiveness of screening are increasingly recognized, few MCOs currently require alcohol, drug, or mental health screening by primary care physicians in any of their product types.

Health Care Surveys↗
PubMed2002

Quality standards and incentives in managed care organizations' specialty contracts for behavioral health.

BACKGROUND: In the US, most privately insured individuals are enrolled with managed care organizations (MCOs), and a majority of these organizations have subcontracted responsibility for behavioral health care to specialized vendors. Based on economic theory, we anticipate that MCOs should be more likely to require quality standards in contracts that transfer all financial risk to the vendor. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To test whether use of quality standards in behavioral health subcontracts differs between MCOs that transfer full financial risk and other MCOs. Similarly, to test for differences between for-profit and nonprofit MCOs. METHODS: Bivariate tests and logistic regression analysis of the use of five quality-related standards, and the use of any standard, in a nationally representative sample of commercial MCO products in 60 US market areas. Statistical controls include MCO size, chain affiliation, region and market size. RESULTS: All five standards we examined were widely used in behavioral health subcontracts (varying from 47% to 70% of products). However, contrary to our hypothesis, the standards are not more commonly used by MCO products with unlimited capitated contracts for behavioral health. In most cases the opposite is true. In addition, for-profit plans were more rather than less likely to use several of the standards. DISCUSSION: MCOs that transfer full risk may be using mechanisms other than quality standards (e.g. periodic rebidding) to prevent skimping; may be less concerned about quality anyway; or may be more skeptical about the value of existing standards. The fact that for-profit plans are equally or more likely to use these standards may reveal that their objectives are not different from those of nonprofits, or that competition is constraining them to adopt standards anyway. Limitations of this study include the lack of more detailed data on the nature of financial risk-sharing, and on the types of financial penalties associated with each standard. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY: Pressure for accreditation appears to be an effective vehicle for encouraging the spread of standards. It would be useful to know how far use of these quality standards in contracts is linked to better quality of care. IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: Further studies should examine the relationship between quality standards and quality of care

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Report of recommendations: the Annapolis Coalition Conference on Behavioral Health Work Force Competencies.

In May 2004, the Annapolis Coalition on Behavioral Health Workforce Education convened a national meeting on the identification and assessment of competencies. The Conference on Behavioral Health Workforce Competencies brought leading consumer and family advocates together with other experts on competencies from diverse disciplines and specialties in the fields of both mental health care and substance use disorders treatment. Aided by experts on competency development in business and medicine, conference participants have generated 10 consensus recommendations to guide the future development of workforce competencies in behavioral health. This article outlines those recommendations. A collaborative effort to identify a set of core or common competencies is envisioned as a key strategy for advancing behavioral health education, training, and other workforce development initiatives.

Behavioral Medicine↗