Woburn, MA ­– Beacon Health Strategies (Beacon) and its health plan partner, Hudson Health Plan (Hudson), and the New York State Department of Health (DOH), are being honored for their groundbreaking work in providing person-centered care for individuals with multiple mental and physical health conditions.

The Westchester Cares Action Program (WCAP), a collaborative effort among Beacon, Hudson and the DOH, is the recipient of the 2012 Westchester County Department of Health Distinguished Public Service Award. The award, presented annually in recognition of Public Health Week in April, recognizes community-based organizations that show an exemplary commitment to public health.

WCAP, a unique program designed to facilitate access to primary medical care, behavioral health treatment and support services, is improving health outcomes for Medicaid recipients in Westchester County, NY. The program is an interdisciplinary team of five care coordinators and a peer support specialist that locates potential enrollees for the program; assesses their individual needs; and then coordinates relevant care and services.

Based on a model of integrated medical and behavioral care, WCAP promotes preventive treatment in the most appropriate setting through patient-centered medical homes. Peer support specialists round out that care by driving enrollees to appointments, assisting with housing applications, and teaching life coping skills.

Data shows that the program is working. For 83 individuals enrolled since the program’s inception in 2009, data reflecting use of services reveal there was a 10 percent reduction in inpatient services within six months of enrollment. After one year of enrollment, 28 continuously enrolled individuals showed a statistically significant reduction in severity of their conditions.

"WCAP is a perfect example of what Beacon and its health plan partners are trying to achieve," said Tim Murphy, Beacon chief executive officer. "Provide care that meets an individual’s needs in a holistic manner – medical, behavioral and social – and you will see results. A key aspect of this approach is using data to guide us on what interventions work the best and with whom. This award is confirming of all of the work we do, and I look forward to continued success with our partners."

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is the recognized leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations, with a focus on complex, co-morbid population health management. Beacon currently serves more than 7 million members in 17 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its person-centered, data-driven and community-based model of care in partnership with its health plan partners and the behavioral health community at large.

About Hudson Health Plan

Hudson Health Plan is a New York Medicaid not-for-profit managed care organization founded in 1985 by four community health centers. Hudson, whose mission is to promote and provide excellent health services for all people, offers three state-subsidized managed care programs: Medicaid; Family Health Plus; and Child Health Plus. The plan serves more than 110,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Woburn, MA ­– Beacon Health Strategies’ long-standing success in serving New York public sector programs has been enhanced through a recent award by the New York Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services to serve as one of five competitively procured Regional Behavioral Health Organizations. In partnership with the New York Care Coordination Program (NYCCP), Beacon will provide utilization management, analytic and care coordination services for individuals with complex healthcare needs who are at risk for repeated hospitalizations in New York’s Western Region.    

A partnership between Beacon and NYCCP sets the stage for a BHO that delivers meaningful care through addressing the unique needs of each individual. For the past three years, Beacon and the NYCCP have worked together to implement person-centered, recovery-focused care coordination programs in preparation for the local administration of managed systems of care. This program, which served as the template for the creation of the BHO, identifies fee-for-service Medicaid members who use multiple behavioral health and medical services in an effort to reduce costs through improved health outcomes.

“Beacon’s expertise rests in providing person-centric care to improve member health while also reducing costs,” said Beacon’s CEO Timothy Murphy. “With clinical integration at the core of our care-delivery approach, Beacon recognizes that both mental and physical health issues cannot be addressed in a vacuum. Indeed, one cannot be achieved without addressing the other. We look forward to expanding our work with NYCCP providing flexible, recovery-focused care for western New York communities.”

The success of Beacon’s behavioral health programs is the outcome of innovative clinical programs, extensive data analysis, and excellent clinical integration. Specifically in New York, Beacon’s proven track record is the result of 14 years’ experience providing that expertise for seven health plans serving Medicaid and other public sector programs, covering almost 700,000 members. Additionally, Beacon works with more than 8,000 providers in New York to ensure that these members have access to coordinated medical and behavioral health treatment that is both effective and readily available.

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations with a presence in 15 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

About the New York Care Coordination Program

NYCCP is a Rochester-based, not-for-profit undertaking by local governments, behavioral health providers and consumers to improve access, quality and cost-effectiveness of publicly funded services to children with serious emotional disturbance and adults with serious mental illness or chemical dependency. NYCCP works with peers, families, providers and local mental health departments to design organizational governance, systems of care, education and training, and performance monitoring.

Woburn, MA ­– Beacon Health Strategies’ long-standing success in serving New York public sector programs has been enhanced through a recent award by the New York Office of Mental Health and the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services to serve as one of five competitively procured Regional Behavioral Health Organizations. In partnership with the New York Care Coordination Program (NYCCP), Beacon will provide utilization management, analytic and care coordination services for individuals with complex healthcare needs who are at risk for repeated hospitalizations in New York’s Western Region.    

A partnership between Beacon and NYCCP sets the stage for a BHO that delivers meaningful care through addressing the unique needs of each individual. For the past three years, Beacon and the NYCCP have worked together to implement person-centered, recovery-focused care coordination programs in preparation for the local administration of managed systems of care. This program, which served as the template for the creation of the BHO, identifies fee-for-service Medicaid members who use multiple behavioral health and medical services in an effort to reduce costs through improved health outcomes.

“Beacon’s expertise rests in providing person-centric care to improve member health while also reducing costs,” said Beacon’s CEO Timothy Murphy. “With clinical integration at the core of our care-delivery approach, Beacon recognizes that both mental and physical health issues cannot be addressed in a vacuum. Indeed, one cannot be achieved without addressing the other. We look forward to expanding our work with NYCCP providing flexible, recovery-focused care for western New York communities.”

The success of Beacon’s behavioral health programs is the outcome of innovative clinical programs, extensive data analysis, and excellent clinical integration. Specifically in New York, Beacon’s proven track record is the result of 14 years’ experience providing that expertise for seven health plans serving Medicaid and other public sector programs, covering almost 700,000 members. Additionally, Beacon works with more than 8,000 providers in New York to ensure that these members have access to coordinated medical and behavioral health treatment that is both effective and readily available.

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations with a presence in 15 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

About the New York Care Coordination Program

NYCCP is a Rochester-based, not-for-profit undertaking by local governments, behavioral health providers and consumers to improve access, quality and cost-effectiveness of publicly funded services to children with serious emotional disturbance and adults with serious mental illness or chemical dependency. NYCCP works with peers, families, providers and local mental health departments to design organizational governance, systems of care, education and training, and performance monitoring.

Woburn, MA – Beacon Health Strategies, LLC congratulates five of its health plan partners for being named in the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) 2011 -2012 list of top 10 Medicaid plans.

Approximately 100 plans qualified to be ranked out of the more than 200 Medicaid health plans evaluated by the NCQA. To be eligible for the rankings, health plans must authorize public release of its performance information and submit enough data for a statistically valid analysis, according to the NCQA web site. The NCQA based its findings on clinical performance, member satisfaction, and level of NCQA accreditation.

Beacon’s partner plans’ rankings are as follows:

Fallon Community Health Plan – 1st
Neighborhood Health Plan – 3rd
Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan – 4th
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island – 7th
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island – 8th

Beacon, a managed behavioral health organization, has been a partner with the number one-ranked Fallon Community Health Plan since 1999. A pioneer in integrating behavioral health care with medical care, Beacon provides Fallon and its other health plan partners with customized behavioral health care management and related services, such as quality management and provider contracting.

“I am delighted to hear of the success of so many of our clients in this year’s rankings of Medicaid plans,” said Beacon President and CEO Timothy Murphy. “All of these organizations are community-based plans committed to ensuring top quality care, and access to that care, for their thousands of members. We at Beacon share this commitment and are honored to contribute to each plan’s success in achieving these rankings.”

Beacon’s Chief Medical Officer Dan Rome, M.D. added: “As a fully NCQA-accredited managed behavioral health organization, we at Beacon understand the significant expertise and effort that each of these clients devotes to ensuring that their members receive the best care possible. It is not surprising that these five health plans made it to the top 10 list.”

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is recognized as a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations. Beacon currently serves more than 4 million members in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

About the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2010, the NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. Its Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. The NCQA accredits health plans in every state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, covering 70.5% of all Americans enrolled in health plans.

Woburn, MA – Beacon Health Strategies, LLC boosted its presence in the southeastern United States with its acquisition of PsychCare, a Miami-based behavioral health company that specializes in behavioral, wellness, medical and pharmacy programs for both commercial and public sector populations. The acquisition became effective February 8, 2011.

Expanding Beacon’s Medicare and Medicaid market share, the acquisition better positions the Massachusetts-based company to accommodate the increased number of covered lives and types of disability available to health plans through healthcare reform. PsychCare, whose flagship clients include Humana, Coventry Health Care, and LifeSynch, covers 1.5 million lives, bringing Beacon’s total number of covered lives to 6.5 million.

Beacon’s innovative clinical programs and excellence in care management, data analysis, information technology, and clinical integration attracted the Hernandez family, the founders of PsychCare, to join forces with Beacon.

“Beacon has a proven track record of providing person-centric care that improves member health while also reducing costs,” said PsychCare CEO Dr. Rodolfo Hernandez. “The company’s emphasis on clinical integration is in line with PsychCare’s philosophy that mental health is just as important as physical health and that one can’t be achieved without addressing the other. We look forward to working with Beacon and accessing their additional resources to help meet our clients’ needs.”

Beacon’s CEO Timothy Murphy said Beacon shares PsychCare’s philosophy that successful behavioral health care means treating the member holistically. “It is almost impossible to be successful in this business without taking integrated care seriously,” said Murphy. “Beacon is excited to partner with PsychCare as it is a company that stands by its vision of treating the whole person, which is optimal for member health as well as a sound business practice.”

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is recognized as a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations. Beacon currently serves more than 4 million members in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

Woburn, MA – Experts from Beacon Health Strategies, LLC shared their industry-wide knowledge regarding the challenges facing managed care at several 2010 conferences held around the country.

In his presentations, Brian Wheelan, MBA, executive vice president, Strategy and Development, addressed issues ranging from managing pharmacy benefits to health insurance reform. Specifically, he presented “Understanding PPACA (Patient Protection and Affordable Act) to Reduce New Costs of the Previously Uninsurable” at both the Behavioral Healthcare and Chronic Care Management Conference held in Chicago, October 26-28 and at the 2010 Medicaid Managed Care Congress held in Washington, DC, September 27 and 28.

Wheelan also presented “The Special Needs of Members Covered Under Health Insurance Reform” at the 3rd Annual Medicaid Managed Care Summit held February 24-26 in Washington, DC. Additionally, he spoke at the Annual Executive Forum on Pharmacy Benefit Management Strategies held July 12-13 in Philadelphia.

John Colburn, Ph.D., applied his longstanding expertise in behavioral health care management in his presentation, “Preventing Hospital Readmissions for Members with Behavioral Health Disorders.” Colburn, Beacon’s director of Clinical Development, stated that providing timely and effective transitional care, such as home-based clinical service, is imperative to reducing hospital readmissions for individuals with psychiatric problems. He spoke on this topic at the Medicaid Health Plans of America Annual Meeting held November 3 and 4 in Washington, DC and at the Reducing Hospital Readmissions Conference in Philadelphia, April 26-28.

Beacon’s President and CEO Timothy Murphy said it is the company’s responsibility to share what the organization has learned in its 15 years of business. “As the nation faces an upheaval in one of its top industries – healthcare – it is incumbent upon Beacon and companies like it, to pass on their expertise in helping people to become healthier while also reducing costs,” said Murphy. “Here, at Beacon, we have the results to show that certain programs and interventions work, and it is more important now than ever for us to share that knowledge.”

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is recognized as a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations. Beacon currently serves more than 4 million members in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

Woburn, MA – Beacon Health Strategies, LLC (Beacon) strengthened its nationwide presence when it entered into an agreement with the national health insurer Humana to provide its unique Psychotropic Drug Intervention Program (PDIP) services. Starting Nov. 1, 2010, 1.5 million Humana members can benefit from Beacon’s innovative drug management program, which aims to improve members’ health through education and support.   

PDIP identifies opportunities to change both member and provider behavior to improve medication-related problems and the coordination of care, and ultimately, member health. The program promotes evidence-based prescribing practices and members’ adherence to prescribed medications through targeted communication methods, such as automated telephone calls to members, and letters to both prescribers and members.

PDIP – available as a stand-alone or integrated service with other Beacon services – has the flexibility to meet individual customers’ needs. In the case of Humana, which does not contract with Beacon to provide any other services, PDIP met Humana’s requirement for a program to identify quality-of-care concerns and a subsequent medical review process with a turnaround time of two hours or less. To do so, Beacon built a web-based prescriber response system enabling prescribers to respond online to Beacon’s requested interventions. Consequently, for the first time, real-time PDIP data is available to a customer.

“The enhancements we developed for Humana have significantly raised the bar for PDIP,” said Stephen Feldman, director of PDIP. “We will continue our work in the core areas of medication management through our adherence, dosing and poly-pharmacy initiatives while always looking for ways to improve or add new technologies. To complement this work, PDIP is developing more focused and comprehensive solutions to meet customers’ needs. It is Beacon’s level of sophistication and experience with data integration that make the program a top choice.”

Some of the PDIP initiatives under development are a risk stratification and reduction program for children using psychiatric medications; a Suboxone utilization management program; and a proactive HEDIS Antidepressant Medication Management (AMM) score improvement program.

By using targeted interventions, PDIP improves member health outcomes and safety. Data show that PDIP interventions positively affect both medication usage and prescribing patterns, which in turn help to reduce instances of potentially problematic medication-related problems. Changes in behavior at both the member and prescriber level ultimately lead to a reduction in behavioral healthcare costs.

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is recognized as a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations. Beacon currently serves more than 4 million members in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

Woburn, MA – Beacon Health Strategies, LLC strengthened its presence in California with the acquisition of Comprehensive Behavioral Health Management (CBHM), a Los Angeles County-based managed behavioral health organization that serves nearly 1.5 million members from both commercial and Medicaid populations. The acquisition became effective December 13, 2010.

The acquisition includes CBHM’s flagship clients Kaiser Permanente, United Healthcare, Aetna, HealthNet, and Anthem Blue Cross of California. The move strengthens Beacon’s public and private sector healthcare market share in California, raising the Massachusetts-based behavioral health company’s total number of covered lives to 6.5 million.

Beacon’s demonstrated success in improving health outcomes while reducing costs motivated CBHM CEO Randy Davis, PhD, to partner with Beacon.

“Beacon is a company that promotes improved member health and reduced costs, and they deliver on both,” said Dr. Davis. “Their programs offer unique solutions, and with an industry rocked by the introduction of healthcare reform and expansive Medicaid changes that promise to increase the number and complexity of covered lives, innovation that delivers results is critical.”

The success of Beacon’s behavioral health programs is the outcome of innovative clinical programs, extensive data analysis, and excellent clinical integration. By integrating both behavioral and medical care, Beacon’s programs promote a holistic approach that delivers member-centric, cost-effective care.

CBHM shares the philosophy that behavioral health and medical health need to be treated together to achieve optimum health. “CBHM, like Beacon, is on the cutting edge of expanding its programs to provide care that views individuals holistically,” said Beacon’s CEO Timothy Murphy. “Therefore, with their programs that complement Beacon’s, CBHM was a natural fit. We look forward to working with them.”

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations with a presence in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.

About Comprehensive Behavioral Health Management

CBHM, based in Cerritos, CA, serves almost 1.5 million people in California and has a provider panel of 3,000. Started in 1991, it is one of the largest regional behavioral health delivery systems that provide behavioral health, wellness, disability and occupation health programs.

Tisa Hughes brought her longstanding expertise in healthcare law to Beacon Health Strategies, LLC when she joined the company in May 2010 as general counsel. In her role at Beacon, Ms. Hughes will oversee and coordinate all legal affairs involving a wide range of strategic, tactical, regulatory and operational issues.

Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Hughes was vice president, deputy general counsel at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts where she led a team of lawyers providing legal and risk management advice in the areas of product development, corporate governance, healthcare services, sales and underwriting, and strategic initiatives. Ms. Hughes started her 20-year legal career in the health law group at Ropes & Gray in Boston working with academic medical centers, community hospitals, physician groups and health maintenance organizations. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago Law School.

“Beacon was an exciting opportunity for me because it is a company that is forging real change in the area of managed behavioral health care,” said Ms. Hughes. “It’s great to be part of an organization whose innovative programs and data-driven approach bring a new momentum to the delivery of behavioral health.”

Ms. Hughes’ extensive knowledge in healthcare law along with her experience in counseling both an insurance company and healthcare organizations made her an excellent fit for Beacon. “Ms. Hughes understands the issues from both sides of the fence –  from the point of view of the insurance company managing healthcare services and the actual organizations providing those services,” said Beacon President and CEO Timothy Murphy. “Both perspectives are important to the successful development and implementation of behavioral health care programs.”

About Beacon Health Strategies

Founded in 1996, Beacon Health Strategies is recognized as a leader in behavioral health care management services for Medicaid, Medicare and commercial populations. Beacon currently serves more than 4 million members in 10 states. Accredited by both URAC and NCQA, Beacon’s success derives from its member-centric and locally-administered managed care services, active integration of members’ medical and behavioral health care needs, innovative clinical programming, and customized solutions for every health plan partner.