One provision of the Affordable Care Act calls for Medicare patients to have a behavioral health assessment as part of an annual Initial Preventive Physician Exam. A health IT company that developed behavioral health screening tools for consumers thinks it can help primary care physicians fill that requirement.
M3 Information developed a consumer-facing, self-rated checklist identifying potential mood and anxiety symptoms last year, but has expanded into the clinician realm with M3 Clinician. In a pitch at Venture+ Forum at the mHealth Summit last week, CEO Michael Byer said the screening qualifies for insurance reimbursement. Physicians are charged about $3 per screening and payers have reimbursed at a rate of $18 to $60 per screen. M3 ultimately walked away as the winner of the competition.
Its M3 Clinician channel tracks patients over time and is designed to add decision support. It helps primary care physicians do a better job of identifying mood disorders, engaging patients and making referrals. The company also sees scope for its tool to help ACOs do a better job of monitoring their patients’ mental health since data can be compiled to track disorders such as depression or anxiety over time.
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Based in Rockville, Md., M3 Information made its checklist available as a free app for Android and iOS devices in the spring last year. WhatsMyM3 is a 27 question confidential test screen that directs users to WhatsMyM3.com. When users finish the questions, they receive an overview of their potential risk of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder or PTSD based on research published in the Annals of Family Medicine, according to a description of the app.
The company sees its tool as a useful way to reduce medical costs by making it easier to identify people who need help and boosting reimbursement for physicians.
Well Track One, a graduate of Blueprint Health’s accelerator, developed a health IT platform for annual wellness exams as well.
