STRATEGY 3
Targeted Use of Additional County Funding Additional County resources would provide much needed funds to support mental health and substance use disorder treatment services in the region. Other jurisdictions have struggled to leverage sales tax dollars in a way that makes a significant difference in improving behavioral health care; however, Pierce County could leverage the innovative Pierce County ACO model and the Data Strategy Collective to spread and deepen the impact of these funds.
1 Principles for Investments Significant gaps in the behavioral health care delivery system exist within Pierce County. Any additional revenues raised in the short term will allow for significant improvements over the current system, particularly when coupled and aligned with the Pierce County ACO model and Data Strategy Collective; however, any potential revenues will not be sufficient to address all of the gaps that remain within the system and the county. Addressing all of these gaps will take time. Therefore, investments must be prioritized to address the most critical needs and leverage existing and other potential resources. The following principles serve as a guide for the development of the recommended expenditure categories for these funds. The Principals discussed on page 14 to help guide investment decisions will increase the likelihood that funds are spent to achieve measurable and significant outcomes.
2 Measuring Outcomes Investments into the services outlined below should lead to improvements in the behavioral health system of care and population health outcomes. In order to truly measure improvements, investments should align with the Pierce County ACO model and the Data Strategy Collective for validating outcomes across a spectrum of conditions. For example: •
Metrics and Outcomes. The RSCC recommends the following metrics, linked directly to population health outcomes, be used by the region and Council to measure performance improvements of the system of care: 1. Reduced Suicide Rates. 2. Reduced Emergency Department Utilization Rates of Behaviorally Ill Patients. 3. Reduced Inpatient Recidivism/Readmission Rates in Hospitals, Psych Hospitals, and E&Ts of Behaviorally Ill Patients. 4. Reduced Jail Utilization Rates of Behaviorally Ill Patients. 5. Reduced Youth Emergency Departments Admission Rates (from Mary Bridge). Improving Access to Care based on 2-1-1 Referral Rates for Behaviorally ill patients.
Measurement Advisory Committee The performance of funded programs should be measured routinely by a committee of providers, experts in clinical performance
Common data elements should be developed and embedded within existing electronic health records and other information technology tools.
measures, and policymakers to advise the ACO
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Behavioral health outcomes should be assessed routinely.
should be established by Elevate Health in
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Health care systems will need a valid way to stratify quality measures, in order to address potential gaps among subpopulations and identify groups in most need of quality improvement.
consultation with the ACO and Council.
Governance body and the Council on progress toward achieving the outcomes. The committee
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