Trends in Behavioral Health: The Triple Aim & Value-based Care
December 20, 2016 Thomas G. Kimball, Ph. D.
In part two of four-part video series on the management of Behavioral Health Populations we return to a conversation between MAP CEO, Jacob Levenson and MAP Clinical Director, Tom Kimball, Ph. D., LMFT as they discuss the triple aim and the industry’s shift towards value-based care.
How does BHPM define the triple aim?
Jacob: Inside of population health we’re identifying trends and pulses , right? We’re understanding what’s efficient, what works, and what doesn’t. The triple aim: identifying what is patient satisfaction levels, identifying the quality of care levels, as well as the degree of economic efficiency is something we can do within pop health.
There’s no standardized constructs for anything. There’s no standardized definitions. You go to New York and you talk about what a successful recovery looks like and you go to California and you’re going to get completely different answers. You’re not going to get that if you talk about success within the cardiology vertical.
What is the relationship between the triple aim and BHPM?
Tom: We can’t even agree on the definition of recovery as a field -- so how can we measure outcomes, how can we measure satisfaction with those outcomes when we have a hard time agreeing what recovery is and what recovery isn’t.
Jacob: If you walk around the behavioral health space you’re going to have most people say, “what is the triple aim?” You’re going to have to even define what it means, much less are we meeting the goals of it, and are we really following those metrics and utilizing them to improve the treatment we provide? So I think we’re falling short -- there’s a lack of awareness of the importance of these measures as well as others.
Tom: The triple aim is an aspiration, it’s a goal, and we’re way below that mark.
Where are we in the process of the shift toward value-based care?
Jacob: Healthcare consumers in behavioral health are demanding to understand what value looks like. At the same time those who are subsidizing it what to understand what kind of return are they getting on their treatment subsidies. And so identifying value is not something that is going to go away, it’s something that’s going to continue to be embraced, and we’re going to continue to evolve and navigate value based care.
Tom: Providers are going to have to get really nimble. They’re going to have to be on board with value based care. They’re going to have to really look at their effectiveness in order to be able to continue to move forward and be viable within the behavioral health space.
