Quality Indicators for Physical and Behavioral Health Care Integration

• Published in: JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 314; no. 8; pp. 769 - 770
• Main Authors: Goldman, Matthew L, Spaeth-Rublee, Brigitta, Pincus, Harold Alan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Medical Association 25-08-2015
• Subjects: Health care; Humans; Integration; Mental Health; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Payment systems; Public health; Quality Improvement; Quality Indicators, Health Care; Quality of care; Systems Integration
• ISSN: 0098-7484; 1538-3598
• DOI: 10.1001/jama.2015.6447

Earlier this 2015, Secretary Sylvia Burwell of the US Department of Health and Human Services announced measurable goals and a timeline to move the US health care system "toward paying providers based on the quality, rather than the quantity of care they give patients." In April, Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (HR 2) to repeal the sustainable growth rate formula and develop options for alternative, value-based payment models for Medicare. These initiatives are in pursuit of the "triple aim" of better health care quality, improved population health, and more affordable health care. Achieving these goals will require a robust set of quality metrics that are especially focused on high-need/high-cost patient populations. The interface of behavioral (including mental health and substance use conditions) and general health care is an especially promising area for leveraging change of the status quo. Here, Goldman et al discuss developing quality metrics in behavioral and general health care to encourage more cost-effective care and improve the status quo.