I have been working with members of a research consortium here at the UW-Madison who have been implementing A-CHESS, a smartphone application we developed and studied. One of the biggest barriers to use of these types of technology is reimbursement. Mike Boyle has been working with some of our consortium members on ways to overcome this barrier. We are expanding the conversation to others in the field who are also implementing evidence-based technology interventions.
Mike will be sharing articles, information, ideas about this topic. We look forward to hearing from others on how to move forward on the use of technology to support recovery.
Susan Dinauer
Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
New technologies are proving to be effective in research studies for computerized treatment, recovery support and brief screening, assessment and intervention for heavy alcohol use. These technologies hold the promise to increase access and enhance outcomes at a lower cost per episode of care. As Susan pointed out in her post, the biggest barrier for providers to adopt and implement these technologies is the lack of a payment mechanism. The following article points out this problem:
http://www.techhealthperspectives.com/2012/11/05/513/
In future posts I will describe the potential use of new reimbursement mechanisms for paying providers to use technologies.
In the interim, have any of you had success in being reimbursed for technology delivered care? If so, please provide a description of your approach.
Thanks, Mike