PHM Solution To Transform Behavioral Healthcare
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
ODH’s Mentrics will be delivered on IBM’s Watson Health Cloud
ODH, Inc. and IBM Watson Health have announced the launch of a cutting-edge population health management platform designed to help managed care organizations transform the quality and cost of behavioral healthcare. Built specifically for managed care organizations that handle behavioral health benefits, Mentrics will streamline data and care coordination while generating valuable insights to help optimize care for patients with behavioral health conditions.
The system leverages the power of Watson Health Cloud togather and aggregate health data, including behavioral and physical medical services and prescription claims, from fragmented sources into one easy-to-use platformto provide comprehensive and predictive insights for a coordinated, collaborative and holistic approach to improving care for individuals suffering from behavioral health conditions.
“Mentrics is the result of four years of research and development to tackle the challenges facing managed care organizations responsible for behavioral health benefits,” said Michael Jarjour, president and CEO, ODH, Inc. “Built with our deep expertise in behavioral health and using IBM’s technology and security prowess, Mentrics represents what we believe will be a turning point in the industry’s ability to substantially improve care quality and outcomes, as well as network efficiency for reduced costs.”
CMS data shows healthcare costs for people diagnosed with mental illness and common chronic health conditions are 75 percent higher than those without a mental health diagnosis. Becausethe fragmented behavioral health care system often leads to a lack of coordination between multiple care providers, different state policies and diverse payment structures, many patients experience poor health outcomes and higher costs across health systems.
Mentrics can be deployed as an approach to behavioral health population management, provider network performance, and patient care coordination. Available in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model on IBM’s Watson Health, the cloud environment also enables integration of clinical, scientific, and exogenous data in structured and unstructured formats, and can offer cognitive insights into risk stratification and personalized care.
“One of the biggest gaps in our health system today is behavioral health care, and we are proud to be working with ODH to take on this tremendous challenge,” said Lauren O’Donnell, vice president of life sciences, IBM Watson Health. “Our goal with Mentrics is to make it easier for managed care organizations to achieve clinical and business goals in population health management while optimizing provider network performance so that patients don’t fall through the cracks.”
“New analytic tools are needed as behavioral health benefits are integrated into managed care plans,” said Arthur Webb, founder and group leader of the Arthur Webb Group, a consulting firm that specializes in translating national health reform into practical solutions. “Mentrics is a next-generation software and services solution poised to become an invaluable asset to managed care organizations responsible for behavioral health populations that are seeking to improve population health management and the performance of provider networks.”