Integrated Partner Model (IPM)

Beacon’s Integrated Partner Model (IPM) delivers results. The outcome of a recent in-depth analysis, performed by Beacon’s founding and longest standing client, Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP) demonstrate that Beacon’s IPM has resulted in improved collaboration between medical and behavioral case management, improved care for NHP members and a reduction in total health care costs of 12.5%

What Is The Integrated Partner Model?
Beacon’s Integrated Partner Model or IPM is a clear break from traditional Managed Behavioral Healthcare Organization (MBHO) service offerings. The IPM dictates that Beacon’s staff of behavioral health professionals are physically located within the offices of our health plan partners. In doing so, Beacon’s behavioral health clinical staff sit shoulder to shoulder with their medical counterparts and are able to work in partnership on a real time basis in order to ensure the most timely and thorough collaboration and coordination of care provided to members.

How Does It Work?
The IPM works by providing our health plan partners with real time access to Beacon’s dedicated behavioral health clinicians. With Beacon’s proprietary FlexCare Behavioral Health Management System at their fingertips, Beacon’s IPM clinicians are able to handle referrals, share and/or transmit relevant data, provide historic psychopharmacological information or talk to a high-risk member who may simply be overwhelmed in speaking with their health plan’s representatives.

Why Utilize the IPM?
Utilizing the IPM, Beacon and its partners are able to achieve greater collaboration between medical and behavioral health staff ensuring that decisions are made in a timely and efficient manner and that a member’s total health care needs are addressed in a seamless and coordinated fashion. Implementation of the IPM also affords Beacon and its health plan partners the ability to realize improved communications on both day to day issues as well as the occasional unanticipated challenge

What Are Some Results?

The results of Beacon’s IPM are impressive. In responding to an NHP developed IPM Satisfaction Survey, 95% of NHP’s clinical staff surveyed feel that care has improved for NHP members. “There is no question that the collaboration has led to a fully informed approach to our member’s treatment”, said one NHP staff respondent. Satisfaction with referrals sent from medical to behavioral health have also skyrocketed with 95.0% of NHP survey respondents reporting satisfaction with the outcome of their referral. “My observation is that there is a prompt response to member’s needs by all parties due to the care managers’ ability to have face to face, in depth discussions to assess member’s needs and develop comprehensive care management plans.”, reports another NHP respondent. Beacon’s IPM has also posted significant cost reductions with a total decrease across both behavioral health and medical expenditures of 12.8%.

IPM is a significant driver of Beacon’s excellent HEDIS and consumer satisfaction results. Health plans also have been extremely satisfied with IPM, particularly based on decreasing cost trends. Our analysis compared behavioral health and medical expense for high end members prior to IPM, to actual experience in the first and second 6-month periods post IPM implementation. Costs associated with inpatient and diversionary behavioral health care services have shown dramatic reduction, yielding a 44% decrease in per-member-per-month behavioral health expense. Simultaneously, Beacon’s clients experienced a noteworthy 13% reduction in per-member-per-month medical expenditures.