Developing and Testing New Methods for the Administrative Data Component of the Managed Behavioral Health Care Evaluation Florida

Publication Date: 6/1/2006

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Description:

During the previous eight years, efforts to evaluate and compare the performance of HMO's and PMHP's in pilot Areas 1 and 6 yielded few actionable findings. Early on, the studies were plagued by incomplete and sometimes poor quality data. As the data improved, observed differences between plans diminished, and discrepancies in access to services did not seem to have consistent impacts on consumer outcomes. Failing to find differences in plan performance may reflect the reality that there are in fact no differences. However, before affirming this conclusion and applying similar analytic methods to the managed behavioral health care rollout scheduled for FY's 05-06 and 06-07, we decided to test the utility of new and more detailed methods for studying access, quality and outcomes. This was done using historical Area 1 data. The result is not an update or a re-evaluation of the performance of the plans in Area 1 but rather an attempt to use our most current managed care data to test new analytic methods.