San Francisco, Calif., March 5, 2015 – The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has posted the draft report “Integrating Behavioral Health into Primary Care” for public comment. This report will be the subject of deliberation and vote at the next public meeting of the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF) on Thursday, April 2, 2015 in Oakland, California. This report aims to help the members of CTAF and the public understand the latest evidence on the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of efforts to integrate behavioral health into primary care. It also includes an analysis of the legal, regulatory, and financial landscape for behavioral health integration (BHI) in California, as well as a preliminary list of barriers to BHI and potential solutions that will be discussed at the public meeting with the CTAF Panel and a Policy Roundtable composed of subject matter experts.

The report will be available for public comment until 5:00 PM PT, Friday, March 20, 2015.

Meeting Details

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM PT
Location: The California Endowment
1111 Broadway, 7th Floor
Oakland, CA, 94607

Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting should register by March 31, 2015 by clicking here. Members of the public who are unable to attend the meeting in person can register for a live webcast of the event by clicking here. The CTAF website also includes instructions for those wishing to submit written comments prior to the meeting. Members of the public wishing to deliver an oral comment during the public meeting must email ctaf@icer-review.org by 5:00 PM PT Friday, March 27, 2015. Availability of time slots for public comments is limited.

A video recording of the April 2, 2015 meeting will be made available on the CTAF website following the meeting.

The report will serve as the basis for a separate meeting of the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (CEPAC), but will be adapted to address the distinct challenges and opportunities unique to New England. The CEPAC report will be released and made available for public comment on or around March 20, 2015.

About ICER

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) is an independent non-profit research institute that produces reports analyzing the evidence on the effectiveness and value of drugs and other medical services. ICER’s reports include evidence-based calculations of prices for new drugs that accurately reflect the degree of improvement expected in long-term patient outcomes, while also highlighting price levels that might contribute to unaffordable short-term cost growth for the overall health care system.

ICER’s reports incorporate extensive input from all stakeholders and are the subject of public hearings through three core programs: the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF), the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (Midwest CEPAC), and the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (New England CEPAC). These independent panels review ICER’s reports at public meetings to deliberate on the evidence and develop recommendations for how patients, clinicians, insurers, and policymakers can improve the quality and value of health care. For more information about ICER, please visit ICER’s website.