ODS poised to help employers affected by new mental health parity law.

With the recent passage of Oregon Senate Bill 1, all fully-insured medical plans are required to abandon durational limits as they exist currently on inpatient, residential and outpatient mental health and chemical dependency treatment. The ODS Companies (ODS) is uniquely qualified to help employers make a smooth transition under this new law and minimize the impact to their premiums.

ODS has offered a unique behavioral health management program since 1994; and is well positioned to help employers implement a mental health program that focuses on assuring quality care while managing cost. Customers who choose ODS insurance receive the services of ODS Behavioral Health at no additional cost.

"ODS is in an excellent position to cope with Senate Bill 1," said Jerry Connolly, manager of ODS Behavioral Health. "We're just going to keep doing what we've been doing. We've got the solution for mental health parity already in place, with a proven track record of managing costs."

ODS Behavioral Health is fully integrated with ODS medical and pharmacy services, meaning that all healthcare services are coordinated holistically, without unnecessary overlap.

Oregon is the 36th state in the union to pass mental health parity legislation.

Connolly said employers would likely experience significant cost increases if their insurers do not utilize a behavioral management program. Mental health parity legislation in other states has shown that healthcare plans that employ behavioral health management programs typically see more modest premium increases. For employers subject to this legislation who have ODS insurance, Connolly said, premiums are expected to increase less than one percent due to mental health parity.

Connolly, however, does not foresee a reduction in covered services as the result of increased premiums. "We want our members to have easy access to quality treatment," he said. "We want them to get better and avoid paying for unnecessary services."

Other insurers, he explained, generally evaluate only a portion of overall mental health claims, and many, Connolly said, do not have an in-house mental health team devoted to effective care management. ODS Behavioral Health helps keep costs down by connecting patients with the appropriate course of treatment the first time.

"We know that the best treatment outcomes come from starting in the right place, helping people quickly find the services most likely to help them," Connolly said.

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