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ClearHealth Quality Institute Releases Mental Health Parity Accreditation Standards for Public Comment

Thursday, June 21, 2018 General News
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Standards Establish a Roadmap for Assessing Compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ClearHealth Quality Institute™ (CHQI) today released the draft accreditation standards for its new Mental Health Parity Accreditation Program.  The standards establish the nation's first set of accreditation standards outlining a logical sequence of steps for health plans, health insurers, and health benefits administrators to assess compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).
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The public comment period, beginning June 21, 2018 and closing August 21, 2018, will allow interested parties to provide feedback on the standards before they are finalized. Feedback received during the period will be carefully reviewed to help CHQI further refine the standards. To request a copy of the standards, click here.
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Historically, insurance benefits for mental health and substance use disorder treatment have been less generous than for treatment for physical health conditions. MHPAEA and related state laws are designed to remedy these inequities, requiring insurers to cover mental health and substance use disorder services at benefit levels matching corresponding medical and surgical benefits. The CHQI Mental Health Parity Accreditation Program is intended to activate compliance with these parity laws by health plans, health insurers, and health benefits administrators.

"The CHQI Mental Health Parity Standards Committee, which includes a wide range of key stakeholders, has produced a comprehensive draft standards document that reflects diverse viewpoints," states Connie Galietti, JD, Director, Legal & Professional Affairs, Practice Directorate, American Psychological Association, and CHQI Mental Health Parity Standards Committee Co-Chair. "Public comment is an important step in the standards development process and we look forward to feedback."

"The intensive participation over many months by members of the Parity Standards Committee has resulted in an impressive draft document," adds Brad Lerner, JD, Associate General Counsel and Director, Parity Compliance, Beacon Health Options, and CHQI Mental Health Parity Standards Committee Co-Chair. "We expect that the public comment period will elicit fresh perspectives on some of the key parity issues."

"The CHQI standards development process is designed to include input from a broad range of stakeholders and experts for each of our accreditation programs," says Michael Gomes, Chief Executive Officer, ClearHealth Quality Institute. "We expect that the new CHQI Mental Health Parity Accreditation Program will promote not just insurance parity but lasting improvements in our mental health and addiction treatment systems."

About ClearHealth Quality Institute™ (CHQI)

ClearHealth Quality Institute's (CHQI) mission is to promote quality-based practices for health plans, providers and other stakeholders across the United States and its territories. Our accreditation and certification programs help assess, track and report on trends to enhance key insurance and provider outcomes. The organization is governed by an independent board and committee system, which is open to a wide range of volunteer members to ensure transparency and accountability. To learn more about CHQI, contact (410) 756-1300, [email protected], or www.CHQI.com.

Cision View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clearhealth-quality-institute-releases-mental-health-parity-accreditation-standards-for-public-comment-300669736.html

SOURCE ClearHealth Quality Institute

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