More than 16 million previously uninsured Americans have gained coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchanges and Medicaid expansion as of 2015, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.* This growing patient population underscores the importance of the ACA's triple aim: better experience of health care, better population health and lower per capita cost.
New payment models de-emphasize traditional fee-for-service models and instead place an emphasis on quality measures, such as patient improvement and satisfaction, and outcomes, such as reduced hospitalizations and improved medication adherence. Since most primary-care settings are not equipped to provide the behavioral health interventions that can help achieve these goals, there are practice opportunities for psychologists.
The value that psychological science and its well-trained practitioners bring to patient health and to satisfying the ACA's triple aim is undeniable. In response to the evolving health-care system's new delivery and payment models, the APA Practice Directorate and Practice Organization (APAPO) are educating our members about successful practice models for the future. My team in the Office of Legal & Regulatory Affairs looked at barriers across the nation that prevent psychologist participation in integrated care. Our research has revealed that some states prohibit or limit psychologists from forming broadly integrated professional corporations with physicians. APAPO is working to remove these barriers for psychologists.
We began working with outside legal teams to identify impediments to integrated care and to find avenues for our members to become involved. Further, APA has created an Office of Integrated Health Care, headed by Doug Tynan, PhD, which focuses on psychologists' involvement in systems that promote integrated health care. We've also reached out to innovative psychologists who are creating and participating in alternative practice models to learn how their models work for them and potentially for other psychologists. We've published content in the APA Practice Organization's Good Practice magazine on creating or working in alternative practice models, and we're conducting programs to educate psychologists about how to get involved.
All of this work is culminating in an exciting event this month. In collaboration with the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), the New York State Neuropsychological Association, the psychological associations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and relevant state and national neuropsychological associations, we have developed a multifaceted summit on alternative practice models and integrated care. "The Next Phase of Health Care Reform: Practical Steps for New Practice and Business Models for Psychologists/Neuropsychologists" will be held May 30 at Roosevelt Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. Select sessions will be available via Web streaming. More information is available onlineopens in new window.
Panelists include psychologist innovators who are already putting these models to the test. We are honored to have Susan McDaniel, PhD, APA president-elect and an NYSPA member, deliver the keynote address. Physicians, psychologists and attorneys will share their experiences of working together and provide advice for those wishing to pursue alternative practice models. Representatives from Optum and Aetna Behavioral Health will outline ways to work with payers to foster integration. Further, staff from APA and The Trust will provide advice from anti-trust and risk management perspectives. We are thrilled to bring so many experts together to address our health-care system challenges and are confident that we will be able to replicate this program across the country.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to integrated care. It starts with a new way of thinking about health and requires an overarching strategy to address patients' needs while improving quality and outcomes. APA and the APA Practice Organization stand ready to assist our members, offering practical resources to those looking to enter integrated care so that they can contribute to the triple aim.
*These numbers subject to change depending on the outcome of the case before the Supreme Court, King v. Burwell, 759 F.3d 358.
