Research Topics
| Constance HorganSummaryAffiliation: Brandeis University Country: USA Publications
Research Grants
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Detail Information
Publications
Substance abuse treatment client experience in an employed population: results of a client surveyElizabeth L Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, MS035, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 7:4. 2012..Furthermore, the role of several factors including prior service use has not been fully explored...
Internet-based behavioral health services in health plansConstance M Horgan
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, MS 035, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Psychiatr Serv 58:307. 2007- Health plan requirements for mental health and substance use screening in primary careConstance M Horgan
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
J Gen Intern Med 22:930-6. 2007..Screening for substance abuse and mental health in primary care can improve detection. One way to advance screening is for health plans to require it... 
Improving medication management of depression in health plansConstance M Horgan
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Psychiatr Serv 59:72-7. 2008..Identifying health plan characteristics associated with better performance could contribute to quality improvement for this aspect of depression treatment...- Availability of addiction medications in private health plansConstance M Horgan
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 34:147-56. 2008..These findings demonstrate that pharmacy benefits have an impact on access to medications for substance abuse... - Changes in how health plans provide behavioral health servicesConstance M Horgan
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Behav Health Serv Res 36:11-24. 2009..However, increased prevalence of higher levels of cost sharing suggests financial barriers have grown. These changes have important implications for enrollees seeking care and for providers working to meet patients' needs... - Performance measures for alcohol and other drug servicesDeborah W Garnick
Center for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Alcohol Res Health 29:19-26. 2006..The Washington Circle measures--identification, initiation of treatment, and treatment engagement--are a widely used set of performance measures... - Does type of gatekeeping model affect access to outpatient specialty mental health services?Dominic Hodgkin
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, MS 035, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Health Serv Res 42:104-23. 2007..To measure how a change in gatekeeping model affects utilization of specialty mental health services... - Cost sharing for substance abuse and mental health services in managed care plansDominic Hodgkin
Brandeis University, USA
Med Care Res Rev 60:101-16. 2003..Future parity initiatives should be examined for how they address differences in cost sharing as well as limits... - Adapting Washington Circle performance measures for public sector substance abuse treatment systemsDeborah W Garnick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 36:265-77. 2009..Ongoing research is needed to examine the reasons for these results, which might include lack of patient interest or commitment, need for quality improvement efforts, or financial issues... - Unhealthy drinking patterns and receipt of preventive medical services by older adultsElizabeth L Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
J Gen Intern Med 23:1741-8. 2008..Preventive service use among older adults is suboptimal. Unhealthy drinking may constitute a risk factor for failure to receive these services... - Unhealthy drinking patterns in older adults: prevalence and associated characteristicsElizabeth L Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA
J Am Geriatr Soc 56:214-23. 2008..To examine the prevalence of unhealthy drinking patterns in community-dwelling older adults and its association with sociodemographic and health characteristics... - Management of behavioral health provider networks in private health plansDeborah W Garnick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass, USA
J Ambul Care Manage 31:330-41. 2008..Some standard activities are common, but some health plans are adopting other approaches to retain higher-quality providers... - Accessing specialty behavioral health treatment in private health plansElizabeth L Merrick
Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Behav Health Serv Res 36:420-35. 2009..Products with carve-outs differed on several treatment entry dimensions. Findings suggest that health plans focus on timely access and typically do not heavily manage initial entry into outpatient treatment... - Health plans' disease management programs: extending across the medical and behavioral health spectrum?Elizabeth Levy Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass 02454, USA
J Ambul Care Manage 31:342-53. 2008..In health plans, disease management has penetrated more slowly into behavioral health and depression program characteristics are highly variable... - Benefit limits for behavioral health care in private health plansDominic Hodgkin
Schneider Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 36:15-23. 2009..Plans' access to new managed care tools has not led them to stop using benefit limits for cost containment purposes... - Integrated employee assistance program/managed behavioral health care benefits: relationship with access and client characteristicsElizabeth S Levy Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 36:416-23. 2009..20, CI 1.17-1.24), and substance abuse services specifically (OR 1.23, CI 1.06-1.43). Results are consistent with the concept that EAP benefits may increase access and address problems earlier... - Patterns of service use in two types of managed behavioral health care plansElizabeth L Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Psychiatr Serv 61:86-9. 2010.... - Older adults' inpatient and emergency department utilization for ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions: relationship with alcohol consumptionElizabeth S Levy Merrick
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
J Aging Health 23:86-111. 2011..This study examined the relationship between drinking that exceeds guideline-recommended limits and acute-care utilization for ambulatory-care-sensitive conditions (ACSCs) by older Medicare beneficiaries... - Systems-level smoking cessation activities by private health plansSharon Reif
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South St, MS035, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Prev Chronic Dis 8:A14. 2011..This study provides national estimates of systems-level strategies used by private health insurance plans to influence provider delivery of smoking cessation activities... - The effect of employee assistance plan benefits on the use of outpatient behavioral health careDominic Hodgkin
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Mailstop 35, Brandeis University, 415 South St, Waltham MA 02454 9110, USA
J Ment Health Policy Econ 13:167-74. 2010..It is not clear whether EAP services substitute for outpatient behavioral health care services covered by the health plan... - Identification and treatment of mental and substance use conditions: health plans strategiesDeborah W Garnick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Med Care 45:1060-7. 2007..Mental health and substance use conditions are under-recognized and under-treated. Private health plans may be able to affect the extent of screening and, thus, identification of enrollees who need treatment... - Alcohol & drug abuse: Revisiting employee assistance programs and substance use problems in the workplace: key issues and a research agendaElizabeth S Levy Merrick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, MS 035, 415 South St, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Psychiatr Serv 58:1262-4. 2007.... - Managed care plans' requirements for screening for alcohol, drug, and mental health problems in primary careDeborah W Garnick
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Am J Manag Care 8:879-88. 2002..To determine managed care organizations' (MCOs) requirements for screening for alcohol, drug, or mental health problems in primary care settings... - Quality measurement and accountability for substance abuse and mental health services in managed care organizationsElizabeth Levy Merrick
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, MS 035 Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Med Care 40:1238-48. 2002..To analyze managed care organizations' (MCOs') use of behavioral health quality management activities using nationally representative survey data... - Establishing the feasibility of performance measures for alcohol and other drugsDeborah W Garnick
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 23:375-85. 2002..The article discusses issues in interpreting performance measures in several areas: organizational structure of alcohol and other drug services, information available for measurement, and computational issues... - Datapoints: adolescents with substance abuse: are health plans missing them?Margaret T Lee
Schneider Institute for Health Policy of the Heller School of Social Policy Management at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Psychiatr Serv 55:116. 2004 - The impact of employment counseling on substance user treatment participation and outcomesSharon Reif
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 9110, USA
Subst Use Misuse 39:2391-424. 2004..Both groups were as likely to complete treatment and be abstinent at follow-up. Implications are discussed. Future needed research and unresolved critical issues are also noted... - Managed care organizations' use of treatment management strategies for outpatient mental health careElizabeth Levy Merrick
Schneider Center for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 33:104-14. 2006..Prevalence varied from 43% to 87% depending on the technique. HMO products and products with specialty behavioral health contracts were more likely to use the techniques. Product type and contracting arrangement had independent effects... - Selecting data sources for substance abuse services researchDeborah W Garnick
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller Graduate School, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 22:11-22. 2002..Moreover, it should foster better communication among these stakeholders in collaborative projects to improve the effectiveness of services for people with addictions... - Quality standards and incentives in managed care organizations' specialty contracts for behavioral healthDominic Hodgkin
Heller School, MS 035, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Ment Health Policy Econ 5:61-9. 2002..Based on economic theory, we anticipate that MCOs should be more likely to require quality standards in contracts that transfer all financial risk to the vendor... - Changing mental health gatekeeping: effects on performance indicatorsElizabeth Levy Merrick
Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Behav Health Serv Res 35:3-19. 2008..The move to call-center gatekeeping did not appear to have a negative impact on treatment process as reflected in these indicators... - Are Washington Circle performance measures associated with decreased criminal activity following treatment?Deborah W Garnick
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 33:341-52. 2007..Applying the "process-of-care" measures can make a difference when they are used as a target for quality improvement in treatment facilities... - Constructing adolescent substance abuse performance measures using administrative dataMargaret T Lee
Center for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institute for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
J Healthc Qual 28:42-8, 59. 2006..This article discusses the importance of performance measures for adolescent substance abuse treatment, the measurement tools now being developed, and implications for future treatment... - Management of access to branded psychotropic medications in private health plansDominic Hodgkin
Institute for Behavioral Health, Schneider Institutes, Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 9110, USA
Clin Ther 29:371-80. 2007..Little is known about how these policies are being applied to psychotropic medications, many of which have low rates of patient adherence... - Advancing performance measures for use of medications in substance abuse treatmentCindy Parks Thomas
Brandeis University, Institute for Behavioral Health, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 40:35-43. 2011..This article summarizes those findings by identifying a number of critical themes related to advancing SUD pharmacotherapy performance measures, highlighting examples from the field, and recommending actions for policy makers... - Randomized trial of enhanced profiling in substance abuse treatmentMarilyn Daley
Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454 9110, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 38:96-104. 2011..To improve performance, interventions with greater scope and incentives may be needed... - Lessons from five states: public sector use of the Washington Circle performance measuresDeborah W Garnick
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA02454, USA
J Subst Abuse Treat 40:241-54. 2011..As additional states adopt some of the WC measures, or adopt other performance measurement approaches, these states' experiences could help them to develop implementations based on their particular needs... - Economic grand rounds: types of practitioners and outpatient visits in a private managed behavioral health planSharon Reif
Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South St, MS035, Waltham, MA 02454, USA
Psychiatr Serv 61:1066-8. 2010..Claims for patients with more complex co-occurring mental and substance use disorders indicate utilization of appropriately qualified practitioners with substantial experience on average... - Effects of managed care on alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatmentStephen Magura
National Development and Research Institutes, New York, New York, USA
Alcohol Clin Exp Res 26:416-22. 2002..managed care organization policies may affect enrollees' use of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment, by Constance Horgan and associates; (2) The determinants of patients' access to and utilization of AOD treatment in a large .. - Report of recommendations: the Annapolis Coalition Conference on Behavioral Health Work Force CompetenciesMichael A Hoge
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
Adm Policy Ment Health 32:651-63. 2005..A collaborative effort to identify a set of core or common competencies is envisioned as a key strategy for advancing behavioral health education, training, and other workforce development initiatives...
Research Grants
- Provision of Drug Abuse Treatment Services Under ParityConstance M Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2010..s. ..
- Provision of Alcohol Services in Private Health PlansConstance Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2009..s. ..
- Doctoral Training/Health Services Research on AlcoholConstance Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2007..This unique approach to doctoral training has already established the Heller NIAAA Doctoral Training Program a success, as evidenced by the progress and commitment of the current and former trainees. ..
- Alcohol Treatment Under Managed Care Plans: Role of HMOsConstance Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2004..This study will provide systematic information on the nature and extent of HMO changes, and their impact on alcohol service delivery, during this time period. ..
- DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT UNDER MANAGED CARE--ROLE OF PPOSConstance Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2002..This study will provide systematic information on the nature and extent of these changes. ..
- Provision of Alcohol Services in Private Health PlansConstance M Horgan; Fiscal Year: 2010..This competitive renewal for Round 3 of our survey will provide a current picture of the complex and changing organization of behavioral health services in private health plans, which cover the majority of people under 65 in the U.S. ..