Assessment of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Program Year 6

After a difficult transition from the previous vendor to the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership (MBHP), Year 6 was a year of stability and incremental changes for the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Program. This assessment of Year 6 is based on interviews with key players, data provided by the MBHP, a survey of providers, as well as on the fifth year of an ongoing review of the program. Results indicate that enrollment grew, and new services were developed in response to identified needs. Providers considered access, utilization, and quality of care to be the same or better than a year earlier. Coordination improved, but was not optimal. Clinical and overall decisions with MBHP were collaborative or negotiated and less hierarchical in manner than the previous year. Providers rated MBHP better than other managed care organizations on quality of care and utilization review decisions, access, flexibility, and administration.