PPG worked closely with their health plans to coordinate services provided by EAP, PBMs, and behavioral health specialty partners, and primary care physicians (PCPs) and the medical practices that serve PPG employees. To reduce the variability in the treatment of depression, PPG partnered with major health plans, such as Highmark-Blue Cross Blue Shield. Their goal was to provide clinicians with consistent training about depression screening, treatment, and rehabilitation using PHQ9, and instrument that helps screen for and diagnose mental disorders.
PPG also partnered with Highmark to promote the use of practice guidelines and protocols to ensure that healthcare providers are uniformly diagnosing and treating depression. These guidelines and protocols outline standard procedures for recognizing depression, stratifying patient risk, treating depression, following up with patients, and assessing whether a referral to a mental health specialist should be given.
“Integrated treatment is key,” said Alan A. Axelson, M.D., Highmark’s Behavioral Health Medical Director. “It’s important to understand that the primary care physician is part of the behavioral healthcare team,” he said. “We’re asking all practitioners to enhance their care of patients with depression and all consumers to expect that level of care.”
To do that, he emphasized that the employer and the health plan must communicate the same message to the patient about what to expect in treatment and to the physician about how to provide an accurate assessment with timely and consistent follow-up.
Dr. Axelson noted that when health plans and employers work in concert they can make a change and improve care. “Employers,” he said, “can provide the necessary vehicle for educating consumers.”
