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Preventive Health Update

UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services continues to maintain two Preventive Behavioral Health Programs that are offered to UPMC Health Plan members.

• Improving Treatment Compliance for Adults with Depression Ages 18-64
• Parenting Skills for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for parents and guardians of children up to 12 years

The programs send a series of three educational newsletters to members that will help them to learn more about these problems and what they can do to help themselves or their children feel better. The newsletters are free and any member can request to receive them by calling the toll-free Preventive Behavioral Health Phone Line at 1-866-639-2943. TTY users can call 1-877-877-3580. Some members will receive a letter asking them if they want to participate in the program.

Members can always say no by calling the Preventive Behavioral Health toll-free line and asking not to receive the newsletters. UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services measures the progress of the Preventive Health Program in six-month cohorts. The information presented here is from two cohorts, June 2004 to November 2004 and December 2004 to May 2005.

Participation in the program is measured by the percentage of members who receive a complete set of newsletters. We found that for June 2004 to November 2004, 96% of members with depression participated in the program. For December 2004 to May 2005, the participation rate for the depression program was 97%. Participation in the ADHD was 98% from June 2004 to November 2004 and 99% from December 2004 to May 2005.

These are high participation rates and UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services is pleased that so many members and families are choosing to be involved with the program.

Some members and parents or guardians who participated in the program also received a phone call from UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services to ask them how helpful the newsletters were to themselves and their families. Most of the members and parents or guardians who were surveyed about the newsletters said they were very helpful. Members with depression said the program helped them to know more about depression, and parents or guardians of children with ADHD said they felt less stressed after reading the newsletters. Beginning in November 2005, a mail-in survey is being included in the third issue of the newsletters. We are asking members and parents or guardians to take a moment and fill out the survey and return it in the postage paid envelope. Member and family feedback about the program is important to us. As a result of previous parent or guardian feedback about the ADHD newsletters, UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services added a Medication Fact Sheet to the first ADHD newsletter. This fact sheet gives parents or guardians more information about the medications used to treat ADHD, some of the common side effects and answers to frequently asked questions about these medications. Providers are also welcome to use the prevention materials in caring for their patients. In 2005, UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services did receive calls from both behavioral health and primary care physicians requesting copies of the ADHD newsletters for their office. UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services is happy that providers are finding the information useful when working with their patients.

We encourage you to use the Preventive Behavioral Health Programs. Any member can call to receive the newsletters or the ADHD Medication Fact Sheet. If you would like more information about the program or wish to receive the newsletters, please call the toll-free Preventive Behavioral Health Phone Line at 1-866-639-2943. TTY users can call 1-877-877-3580. You can also view the materials on the UPMC Health Plan Behavioral Health Services website by clicking here.

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