Projects & Impact

AHP has built its business on applying best practices, many of which we have helped to shape, and real-world, hands-on knowledge to improving systems and business practices for our clients.

In all of the work that we do, we are guided by our mission to improve health and human services systems of care and business operations to help organizations and individuals reach their full potential.

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Rosecrance Patient Outcomes Project

Rosecrance Health Networks, a private, not-for-profit behavioral health organization, contracted AHP to analyze its residential treatment data in order to help Rosecrance highlight how its services help adolescents and adults struggling with substance use disorders recover and reclaim their lives. Working with Rosecrance leadership, AHP identified the most compelling information on patient recovery and program success, and made recommendations on how Rosecrance might use those results in marketing its services. As part of this process, AHP examined how Rosecrance meets national and state quality indicators of effective substance use treatment.

Redesigning Systems for the Substance Use Disorder Field in the Era of Health Care Reform

In 2011, AHP foresaw the coming impact of both the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on the substance use disorder (SUD) field. Working with the State Associations of Addictions Services (SAAS), the largest national association of SUD treatment and service providers at the time, AHP developed an approach to assess and redesign the nation’s SUD delivery system. Together SAAS and AHP deployed the Readiness and Capabilities Assessment (RCA), a jointly developed survey tool to measure provider ability to meet the expected demands of the new legislation.

Related resources and publications:

Supporting the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association in its Advocacy for Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services

AHP has supported long-time client and partner, the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA), on several key policy, marketing, and system design initiatives. In 2012, AHP reviewed and analyzed state insurance laws and regulations, and made recommendations concerning substance use disorder (SUD) policy and coverage. Subsequently, in light of Illinois’ decision to expand Medicaid in a coordinated care organization context in 2013–2014, AHP conducted an environmental scan to identify gaps in the statewide system of care that, if filled adequately, would result in an “ideal system design.” In 2014, AHP provided a review and set of recommendations for cost rates of behavioral health services in Illinois. The resulting document showed current rates were under national norms, and the data was used by IADDA in lobbying efforts to adjust provider rates in the state.

BHbusiness Plus

BHbusiness Plus was funded through SAMHSA. Utilizing a coached learning network model that lasted 3 to 6 months per network, AHP conducted more than 50 learning networks, each involving hundreds of participants, around the following topics:

  • Value-based Purchasing
  • Bundled Payments
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • New Business Planning
  • Costing Out Your Services
  • Setting up a Third-Party Billing System
  • Improving Your Third-Party Billing System
  • Third-Party Contract Negotiations
  • Eligibility and Enrollment
  • Strategic Business Decision Making
  • Planning for the Next Generation of HIT
  • Exploring Affiliations, Mergers, and Acquisitions

The goal was to help behavioral health providers identify and implement customized change projects that expanded their service capacity, harnessed new payer sources, and ultimately made them able to thrive in the changing health care environment. The program empowered participating organizations to actually make quantifiable changes, rather than just learn how to do so. It linked participants into specific learning networks that focused on a specific topic of interest and provided opportunities for networking and peer support.

Everyone within individual learning networks received hands-on expertise and guidance to initiate, continue, and complete business operations changes.

Currently, BHBusiness offers virtual technical assistance through self-paced online courses, coupled with a robust library of web resources on these same topics, at no cost to participants.

 



 
 

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