Workplace Mental Health Benefits & Selective Contracting

描述(由申请人提供)： 全球经济对健康和高生产率劳动力的需求带来了 对公司福利政策如何变化的研究重新燃起了兴趣 心理健康治疗影响到更广泛的医疗保健利用和 工人的生产力。我们这项研究的目标是检查一种 一家大型国有企业创新的心理健康福利设计变更。 具体地说，精神健康治疗的限制减少了，患者 降低了自付成本，并在全公司范围内努力 使心理健康治疗去污名化。同时，一个心理健康网络 提供者发起的，其目标是为员工提供治疗 来自质量供应商的选项。 将医疗、药品和心理健康的索赔数据结合使用 在福利更改前和福利更改后具有链接的员工和提供者记录 期间，我们建议研究以下问题：1)如何 总体福利政策变化影响心理健康治疗启动， 强度和质量？2)总体福利政策变化有何影响 非心理健康成本？3)福利政策的变化对短期有何影响 残疾。4)治疗强度的变化在多大程度上是由于 选择已经驱逐了公司治疗理念的提供者 (合同效力)或改变提供者的行为以加入 网络(适应效应)？5)选择性签约的成本是多少 患者和提供者？6)是否选择了高质量、高效率的提供者？ 采取全面战略，改善精神疾病的治疗机会 疾病可能会给雇主和雇员带来重要的长期利益。 此外，选择性承包有可能奖励高效的供应商。 而且可能比试图改变方式成本更低，争议也更少 供应商通过使用管理来治疗患者。我们的研究将提供 包括联邦政府在内的其他买家可以从中吸取的教训 学习。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The need for a healthy and productive workforce in a global economy has brought renewed interest in studies of how changes in corporate benefit policies for mental health treatment affect broader healthcare utilization and the productivity of workers. The goal of our study is to examine the effects of an innovative mental health benefit design change by a large national corporation. Specifically, restrictions on mental health treatment were reduced, patient out-of-pocket costs were decreased, and a company-wide effort was made to destigmatize mental health treatment. Concurrently, a network of mental health providers was initiated, the goal of which was to offer employees treatment options from quality providers. Using claims data for medical, pharmaceutical, and mental health in conjunction with linked employee and provider records in the pre- and post-benefit change period, we propose to examine the following research questions: 1) How did the overall benefit policy change affect mental health treatment initiation, intensity, and quality? 2) How did the overall benefit policy change impact non-mental health costs? 3) How did the benefit policy change impact short-term disability. 4) To what extent are changes in treatment intensity due to selecting providers that already expouse the company's treatment philosophy (contracting effect) or changes in provider's behavior in order to join the network (adaption effect)? 5) What are the costs of selective contracting to patients and providers? 6) Were quality, efficient providers selected? Adopting a comprehensive strategy that improves access to treatment of mental illness may have important long run benefits to employers and employees. Moreover, selective contracting has the potential to reward efficient providers and may be less costly and controversial than attempting to change the way providers treat patients through utilization management. Our study will offer lessons from which other purchasers, including the federal government, may learn.