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Multicenter Study
. 2011 Oct;46(5):1436-51.
doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01272.x. Epub 2011 May 24.

Designing payment for Collaborative Care for Depression in primary care

Yuhua Bao  1 , Lawrence P Casalino, Susan L Ettner, Martha L Bruce, Leif I Solberg, Jürgen Unützer
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Designing payment for Collaborative Care for Depression in primary care

Yuhua Bao et al. Health Serv Res. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To design a bundled case rate for Collaborative Care for Depression (CCD) that aligns incentives with evidence-based depression care in primary care.

Data sources: A clinical information system used by all care managers in a randomized controlled trial of CCD for older primary care patients.

Study design: We conducted an empirical investigation of factors accounting for variation in CCD resource use over time and across patients. CCD resource use at the patient-episode and patient-month levels was measured by number of care manager contacts and direct patient contact time and analyzed with count data (Poisson or negative binomial) models.

Principal findings: Episode-level resource use varies substantially with patient's time in the program. Monthly use declines sharply in the first 6 months regardless of treatment response or remission status, but it remains stable afterwards. An adjusted episode or monthly case rate design better matches payment with variation in resource use compared with a fixed design.

Conclusions: Our findings lend support to an episode payment adjusted by number of months receiving CCD and a monthly payment adjusted by the ordinal month. Nonpayment tools including program certification and performance evaluation and reward systems are needed to fully align incentives.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors Accounting for Variation in Episode and Monthly CCD Intensity. (A) Predicted Episode-Level Total Care Manager Contacts by Baseline PHQ-9. (B) Predicted Episode-Level Direct Patient Contact Time by Baseline PHQ-9. (C) Predicted Monthly Care Manager Contacts by Response/Remission at Beginning of Month. (D) Predicted Monthly Care Manager Time in Direct Patient Contact by Response/Remission at Beginning of Month. CCD, Collaborative Care for Depression; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Note. Data shown are point predictions and confidence intervals based on estimated count data models.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Profit Margins across Health Care Organizations in IMPACT under Alternative Payment Designs. HCO, Health Care Organization; IMPACT, Improving Mood-Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement. The DIAMOND Initiative: Depression Improvement Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction. Bloomington, MN: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement; 2008.

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