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PEFORMANCE INCENTIVE PROJECTS

Performance Incentive Projects


An important aspect of the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership's (MBHP) contract with MassHealth are performance incentive (PI) projects. With performance tied to earnings, these projects focus on large-scale quality improvement and program development goals. From FY96 to FY09, MBHP and its collaborators have completed approximately 167 projects.

Some background
When MBHP first contracted with the Commonwealth in 1996, the contract tied earnings to achievement through "performance standards." Performance standards are typically internal quality improvement projects, such as improving the time in which claims are paid or improvements in clinical processes, such as the rate of follow-up post discharge. Over time, the Commonwealth has evolved the contracting process with MBHP. Therefore, the second contract with MBHP in 2001 transitioned from the term "performance standards" to "performance incentives," to reflect the increased shift to projects that focus on systemic improvement by increasing access to quality care for members.

How it works
In collaboration with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and other stakeholders, MBHP pursues annual PI projects that reflect the Commonwealth's priorities. The focus of these projects may include child/adolescent services, rehabilitation and recovery services, behavioral health/primary care integration, continuity of care, homeless services, mental health/substance abuse integration, level of care enhancement, and pharmacy management.

The PI projects are negotiated each year between MBHP and MassHealth. MassHealth often seeks input from a wide range of stakeholders, including state agencies (especially DMH), consumers and their families, advocates, and trade groups. A scope of service, which includes specific deliverables, is negotiated and finalized for each project and included in the annual contract. MBHP and MassHealth jointly develop a more extensive methodology that outlines how the deliverables will be completed, defines the terminology used in the contract language, and describes the format for the final compliance report. Examples of very successful PIs that have evolved into programs include the following:
  • Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project (MCPAP), which makes child psychiatry services universally accessible to primary care providers (PCPs) by providing timely access to child psychiatry consultation;
  • The Community Support Program for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness (CSPECH), which provides case management services to adults who are experiencing chronic homelessness so that they can be permanently housed in apartments or congregate living facilities; and
  • Recovery Learning Communities, which are peer-run centers providing support services and advocacy for and by consumers of behavioral health services.
The success of the performance incentive process has received public recognition. In 2006, the General Accounting Office (GAO) researched how to enhance vendor performance through the use of performance accountability provisions within governmental contracts. The GAO cited the Commonwealth's contract with MBHP as one of four best practice examples they included in their report to Congress. This public-private partnership reflects the foresight of the Massachusetts government officials who implemented this arrangement in 1996.

Performance Incentive Topics

FY2008 PI topics list
FY2009 PI topics list

Performance Incentive Report

The FY2008 Performance Incentive Report contains information on the Performance Incentives for FY08. It includes descriptions of the issues that were addressed, the methods undertaken to address them, the results of the team's efforts, and suggested possible next steps.

For more information on Performance Incentives, please contact Greg Chalmers, MBHP, at greg.chalmers@valueoptions.com.






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This page was last updated: 4/14/2010