title: How health plans promote health IT to improve behavioral health care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Given the large numbers of providers and enrollees with which they interact, health plans can encourage the use of health information technology (IT) to advance behavioral health care. The manner and extent to which commercial health plans promote health IT to improve behavioral health care is unknown. This study aims to address that gap.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data are from a nationally representative survey of commercial health plans regarding administrative and clinical dimensions of behavioral health services in 2010. Data are weighted to be representative of commercial managed care products in the United States (n = 8427; 88% response rate). Approaches within the domains of provider support, access to care, and assessment and treatment were investigated as examples of how health plans can promote health IT to improve behavioral health care delivery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health plans were using health IT approaches in each domain. About a quarter of products offered financial support for electronic health records, but technical assistance was rare. Primary care providers could bill for e-mail contact with patients for behavioral health in about a quarter of products. Few products offered member-provider e-mail, and none offered online appointment scheduling. However, online referral systems and online provider directories were common, and nearly all offered an online self-assessment tool; most offered online counseling and online personalized responses to questions or problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2010, commercial health plans encouraged the use of health IT strategies for behavioral health care. Health plans have an important role to play for increasing health IT as a tool for behavioral health care.
authors.affiliation: Brandeis University, 415 South St, MS035, Waltham, MA 02453. E-mail: amity@brandeis.edu.
authors.forename: Amity E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: info@ajmc.com.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reif
authors.affiliation: info@ajmc.com.
authors.forename: Brooke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: info@ajmc.com.
authors.forename: Timothy B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Creedon
authors.affiliation: info@ajmc.com.
authors.forename: Maureen T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: info@ajmc.com.
authors.forename: Deborah W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Garnick
authors.forename: Constance M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Horgan
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000458:organization & administration; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D058996:Quality Improvement; D014481:United States