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Article: Proper data necessary to evaluate mental health benefits.
- Article from:
- Employee Benefit News
- Article date:
- August 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 SourceMedia, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Is your managed care plan really providing an accurate and comprehensive picture of mental health costs and utilization? An examination of dozens of mental health care requests for proposals (RFPs), most created by consultants, finds almost none that ask for data that a psychologist and behavioral health manager believes are necessary to properly assess each firm.
Nor do benefit managers receive information needed to truly evaluate behavioral health benefits. Knowing mental health costs as a percentage of total medical costs, often the only data a plan sponsor receives, is almost worthless. The payer should insist on receiving the cost and utilization information ...