Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116720

Eric Goplerud, PhD, Center for Health Service Research & Policy, George Washington University Medical Center, 2021 K Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20006, 202-530-2302, goplerud@gwu.edu

Employer attention to health care performance measures can have a significant impact on health care quality. Analysis of the NCQA's HEDIS report cards for health plans serving commercial, Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries indicate that non-behavioral health areas where employers and other purchasers have placed a great deal of attention – e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, asthma, childhood and adolescent immunization, cancer screening – show consistent and marked improvements. By contrast, behavioral health quality measures that have traditionally received little to no attention have been flat or even declining.

The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) is focusing the organized attention of large and small businesses on the importance of high quality, accountable alcohol and depression health care services for workers and their families. NBCH, its member regional and state business coalitions, and participating Fortune 500 companies have embarked on a unified effort, named the eValue8 RFI, to use consistent standards nationwide to assess the quality of health and behavioral health services provided by managed care plans.

This presentation will describe the impact of a cohesive, business-led demand for evidence-based alcohol and depression screening, brief intervention, and treatment services on the delivery of care by health plans serving the commercial sector.

Learning Objectives: