Payer-provider patient registry utilized in a behavioral health home

As defined by the Affordable Care Act, health homes seek to improve healthcare coordination through data exchange and health information technologies; however, few examples of how to use such technology are available. The present effort describes a payer-provider patient registry for behavioral health home service.

An observational study design was used to describe characteristics of individuals identified by the payer-provider patient registry.

In Pennsylvania, behavioral health agencies serve as health homes, with support by a behavioral health managed care organization (BHMCO) in the absence of a state waiver for health homes. The BHMCO initiates a priority patient registry monthly based on diagnoses for serious mental illness (SMI) and at least 1 chronic physical health condition. Providers contribute health data through a secure Web-based portal that become part of the registry and identify new participants.

We identified 3759 individuals in the priority patient registry; 91% were identified by the payer. Most commonly, individuals with SMI were identified with hypertension (39%), asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (27%), hyperlipidemia (20%), and diabetes (18%). Annual behavioral health Medicaid expenditures for individuals in the 12 months prior to appearing on the registry averaged $14,685 per individual. Twelve percent of registry participants had annual behavioral health care expenditures over $25,000.

The use of claims data and health assessment information can identify individuals presenting with complex healthcare needs that may benefit from behavioral health home service.