2012 AHA Policy Research

AHA research reports examine key issues to inform the policy making process.  These include the TrendWatch series, a periodic AHA publication that reports on the latest trends affecting hospitals and the health care system (now conducted in collaboration with Avalere Health* www.avalerehealth.net), as well as other AHA sponsored studies.

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Bringing Behavioral Health into the Care Continuum: Opportunities to Improve Quality, Costs and Outcomes, TrendWatch, January 2012
One in four Americans experiences a mental illness or substance abuse disorder each year, and the majority also has a comorbid physical health condition. In 2009, more than 2 million discharges from community hospitals were for a primary diagnosis of mental illness or substance abuse disorder. The range of effective treatment options for behavioral health disorders - which encompass both mental illness and substance abuse disorders - is expanding. Research indicates that better integration of behavioral health care services into the broader health care continuum can have a positive impact on quality, costs and outcomes. Health reform creates new impetus and opportunity for better managing the care delivered to individuals with behavioral health conditions. Expansion of health insurance generally, along with improved coverage of behavioral health treatment under parity laws, will broaden access to needed services. At the same time, increased provider accountability will spur efforts to coordinate care across currently fragmented settings to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivered to individuals with behavioral health conditions. Many providers already are working with private payers to meet these same goals. Initiatives span value-based purchasing, accountable care organizations, patient-centered medical homes, and efforts to reduce readmissions. These initiatives will have important implications for the delivery of behavioral health care. And as the demand for behavioral health services is likely to continue to outstrip capacity, improving care integration can help to better manage this need.

As providers take on shared accountability for health care across the continuum, they should not overlook patients' behavioral health care needs. Health care organizations and providers that can effectively integrate care across treatment settings as well as between the behavioral and physical health care systems should realize gains in quality and outcomes, and reduced treatment costs.

Chartpack (pptx)

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