SANTA ANA, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Inc. (PBH), a national behavioral health care organization and subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc. , will sponsor the Behavioral Health Track at the 2004 National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC) May 5-7, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center.
Jerry Vaccaro, M.D., PBH president and chief executive officer, will chair this comprehensive, seven-session track, which features new directions and advances that are shaping the future of behavioral health care. Highlighting the sessions are some of the nation's foremost health care authorities.
"NMHCC's Behavioral Health Track brings industry experts together in the nation's capitol to focus on program solutions and policy issues in this critical health care area," said Dr. Vaccaro. "We view these sessions as an opportunity to address developments in national policy initiatives, to share ideas for bringing a higher level of accountability to behavioral health care through measurement of results, and to find new ways to integrate medical and behavioral health care."
Session 1 of the track will include a status report on the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, chartered by President George W. Bush in 2002, to recommend a roadmap for improving mental health services within existing funding streams. Presented by Commission Chair Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., and other panelists, the session will cover progress made since the commission's initial report was issued last November, and compare how government cuts in mental health care have affected federal proposals for implementing report recommendations.
Other sessions will address:
* the pros and cons of carving out mental health benefits from overall
medical benefits;
* identifying and managing patients at risk, presented by Dr. Vaccaro
and Michael Lambert, Ph.D., one of America's foremost authorities on
outcomes management in behavioral health;
* public attitudes toward mental health services, including the results
of a new Harris Interactive national consumer survey commissioned by
Psychology Today and PacifiCare Behavioral Health;
* new and emerging trends in integrated disease-management programs;
* the relationship between effective behavioral health treatment and
workplace productivity; and
* how Six Sigma quality measurement can be used to achieve measurable
psycho-social change.
"PacifiCare Behavioral Health's leadership in delivering clinical excellence and in producing measurable results in behavioral health makes them the ideal sponsor for this track," said Beth George, NMHCC spokesperson. "The sessions address the most relevant and current topics in managed behavioral health care today, providing practical and immediate solutions to our attendees."
About the National Managed Health Care Congress (NMHCC)
The National Managed Health Care Congress is the nations largest managed care event connecting teams across every segment of the managed care industry. The 16th Annual National Managed Health Care Congress will be held May 5-7, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center. For more information, go to http://www.nmhcc.com/.
About PacifiCare Behavioral Health
PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH) provides mental health, chemical dependency and employee assistance services to covered members and maintains a national network of behavioral health care practitioners. All three PBH Service Centers hold three-year, Full Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the most comprehensive and rigorous accrediting body for managed behavioral health care organizations. PacifiCare Behavioral Health is a wholly owned subsidiary of PacifiCare Health Systems, with clients including health plans, union trust funds, employers, school districts, and public sector agencies. More information on PacifiCare Behavioral Health can be obtained at http://www.pbhi.com/.
About PacifiCare Health Systems
PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nations largest consumer health organizations with more than 3 million health plan members and approximately 9 million specialty plan members nationwide. PacifiCare offers individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Currently, more than 99 percent of PacifiCare's commercial health plan members are enrolled in plans that have received Excellent Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). PacifiCare's specialty operations include behavioral health, dental and vision, and complete pharmacy and medical management through its wholly owned subsidiary, Prescription Solutions. More information on PacifiCare Health Systems is available at http://www.pacificare.com/.
For more information, please contact Dagmar King of PacifiCare Behavioral Health, +1-714-445-0453, dagmar.king@phs.com; or Dan Miller of PacifiCare Health Systems, +1-714-226-3726, dan.miller@phs.com.
PacifiCare Behavioral Health, Inc.CONTACT: Dagmar King of PacifiCare Behavioral Health, +1-714-445-0453,dagmar.king@phs.com; or Dan Miller of PacifiCare Health Systems,+1-714-226-3726, dan.miller@phs.com
