No Economics Involved

I am writing to correct a misquote attributed to me in the March 16 issue. I was quoted as stating that Alliance Behavioral Care (ABC) is considering eliminating authorizations altogether and that ABC would continue relationships with “economical treatment providers.” Neither of these statements is accurate. What ABC is moving toward is the elimination of all medical-necessity decisions and providing support to our network clinicians to deliver the highest-quality care possible. We also understand that utilization data, taken alone, are not sufficient to determine the value of a provider to our members. ABC has never terminated a relationship with a provider due to utilization concerns.

It is in all of our interests to continue the discussion and the evaluation of what constitutes high-quality, cost-effective care. I hope that the clarifications I have provided will facilitate these discussions.