Aftercare Follow-Up Program
Beacon believes that continuity of care between inpatient and outpatient settings
is essential to achieve the best member outcomes. Our comprehensive Aftercare Follow-Up
Program is designed to support member transition from highly-structured hospital
treatment to less structured community-based care. The program aims to maximize
the chances that members with acute and chronic mental health disorders will successfully
complete recommended treatment and will maintain, or more likely improve, their
level of functioning.
Beacon’s Aftercare Follow-up Program enables practitioners to assess compliance
with prescribed medication therapies, and to detect as early as possible, changes
in the member’s disease process that may require additional intervention. In this
way, the program has been critical in minimizing the dual risks of disease relapse
and underutilization of medically necessary outpatient services.
What are the Goals of the Program?
Beacon’s Aftercare Follow-Up Program was designed to achieve the following goals
for members age six and up:
- Increase the percent of members who attend a follow-up outpatient appointment or
diversionary program within seven days and within 30 days after discharge from a
mental health inpatient stay
- Identify changes in members’ conditions as early as possible
- Increase the rate of effective interventions post-discharge
- Decrease relapse post-admission relapse rates
- Decrease inpatient readmission rates
Results
The results of Beacon’s Aftercare Follow-Up program are compelling. Comparing 2006
results to those of 2002, the 7-day follow-up rates have improved by 5 to 17 percentage
points, with the greatest change seen among Medicare members. In 2006, rates of
successful attendance at a follow-up appointment within 30 days after discharge
from inpatient care range from 79% for all Beacon Medicaid populations to 92% for
Medicare members. The 30-day follow-up rate for Medicare members improved by 11
percentage points between 2002 and 2006.