Quality measures are essential to driving improvement in medical and behavioral health care, and aligning payment with value. Because individuals with behavioral health disorders often have comorbid medical conditions,1 it’s essential to closely monitor the outcomes of the services they receive in order to continually raise patients to a higher level of wellbeing. August’s Spotlight focuses on the latest news on and importance of behavioral health quality measures from public and private organizations whose missions are to improve health care for all.
1Druss, B. G. (2011, February). Mental Disorders and Medical Comorbidity. Retrieved May 2017 from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation : http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/workforce/mental_disorders_and_medical_comorbidity.pdf
In this interview with Michael Johnson, Managing Director of CARF International, discusses the importance of accreditation for behavioral healthcare facilities in the context of today’s challenging healthcare environment.
Listen Now!According to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), individuals with serious mental illness who use antipsychotics are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, therefore screening and monitoring for physical health conditions is increasingly important.
Health care quality measurement may include patient satisfaction and experience data, for example those measured by the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) Program Surveys, which measure patient experience with ambulatory and facility-level care in commercial and Medicaid plans.
Screening tools exist for mental health disorders; some examples include the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), the Kessler 6 or 10, the Mood Disorder Questionnaire 13 (MDQ-13), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7).
Up to one in four primary care patients suffer from depression, yet, less than one-third (31%) of these patients are identified by primary care professionals.
Two of the largest accrediting agencies in the market, the Joint Commission and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), accredit almost 2,500 organizations and 7,000 service providers respectively.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for depression in the general adult population, including pregnant and postpartum women. Screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and appropriate follow-ups.
In March 2017, the National Quality Forum (NQF) Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) recommended that the federal government remove 51 health care quality measures from the 240 sets currently used in federal health care value-based purchasing, public reporting, and other programs, including seven measures related to behavioral health.
The National Quality Forums’ Measure Applications Partnership (MAP) is a public-private partnership which provides recommendations on the use of quality and efficiency measures in federal public reporting and value-based payment programs to the federal Department of Health & Human Services.
The Center for Quality Assessment & Improvement In Mental Health (CQAIMH) provides an online searchable database of more than 300 process measures for assessment and improvement of mental health care. The measures included in the database were created by governmental agencies, researchers, professional organizations, accreditors, health systems, and other stakeholders in the health care system.