Behavioral Screening and Intervention Programs Improve Outcomes and Reduce Costs Among High-Risk Patients, According to New Article in The American Journal of Accountable Care

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ConcertoHealth, the leading provider of specialized primary care and supporting clinical services for vulnerable, frail and elderly patients, announced today that The American Journal of Accountable Care has published an article written by ConcertoHealth Southwest Michigan Medical Director Dr. Richard L. Brown, M.D., MPH, on the positive results of evidence-based behavioral screening and intervention (BSI) programs.

The article, "Lessons Learned in Implementing Behavioral Screening and Intervention," was written to provide primary care practices with key lessons learned from Dr. Brown's vast experience helping primary care settings implement BSI since 2006.

The core components of BSI are smoking screening and cessation; alcohol screening, grief intervention, and referral to treatment; and depression screening and collaborative care. The article reveals that BSI for unhealthy drinking, depression, smoking, and other behavioral risks and disorders improves outcomes and generates substantial cost savings.

Dr. Brown makes several recommendations to improve health outcomes and realize cost savings. Key takeaways from the 11 lessons Dr. Brown offers include:

• Plan for Robust Service Delivery and Expand the Healthcare Team
• Hire Capable, Educated Professionals Based on How They Fit in With the Practice
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Use Health Information Technology to Facilitate Efficiency of Providers Implementing BSI

"At ConcertoHealth, we have seen first-hand the benefits of helping primary care physicians extend the care they provide to their most medically and socially complex patients," said Dr. Brown. "By improving performance on various quality metrics and reducing costs, a robust BSI program could help healthcare providers thrive under value-based care models."

As a full-risk provider that operates exclusively in value-based agreements, ConcertoHealth has BSI programs underway in both Michigan and Washington. The care model provides support for health plans and their networks of primary care providers (PCPs) in caring for their highest-risk patients.

About ConcertoHealth
ConcertoHealth Inc. is the leading provider of specialized primary care and supporting clinical services for vulnerable, frail and elderly patients. ConcertoHealth provides high-touch, individualized care for patients and also deploys wraparound clinical resources to extend the reach of primary care providers. Operating exclusively in value-based agreements, the ConcertoHealth care model, elevated by Patient^3D, improves overall health quality and outcomes for high-need patient populations. The ConcertoHealth care model is proven to reduce admissions by 30.3 percent and readmissions by 17.1 percent, benefitting patients, payers and their provider networks alike. The company is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

www.concertohealth.com

SOURCE ConcertoHealth

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