Evaluation of the PACE/PACENET BHL Clinical Program

The SUpporting Seniors Receiving Treatment And INtervention (SUSTAIN) program is an
evidence-based clinical service administered via telephone and designed to help identify and
manage behavioral health issues among enrollees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Department of Aging's Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) and the PACE
Needs Enhancement Tier (PACENET) Program who have been newly prescribed psychotropic
medications. The SUSTAIN program has adapted the existing software and staffing model from
Penn's Behavioral Health Laboratory (BHL), which has been used to integrate Mental Health
(MH) care within primary care in other health systems, including the VA where it was
originally developed. The SUSTAIN program is a novel and flexible clinical service that
addresses some of the barriers that hinder treatment outcomes for MH problems. Given the fact
that the SUSTAIN program provides assessment, monitoring, early intervention, disease
management, and referral management over the telephone, the program can be tailored to each
individual's specific needs. The SUSTAIN program also overcomes logistical barriers such as
the necessity of frequent face-to-face contact in specialty programs, and thus can enhance
existing specialty care programs by reducing wait times and "no-show" rates. As a result, the
SUSTAIN program has the potential to result in higher patient satisfaction, improved health,
and, accordingly, greater independent functioning.

The SUSTAIN program assesses individuals with behavioral health issues and offers a subset of
these individuals ongoing follow-up services based on clinical need and symptom severity.
Follow-up service options include Monitoring and Care Management. Monitoring consists of up
to 4 brief (5-10 minutes), structured assessments following the baseline assessment. These
follow-up contacts are conducted over the telephone by the Heath Technician (HT) or
Behavioral Health Provider (BHP) and take place during the initial 12 weeks of pharmaceutical
treatment. These brief interviews monitor symptoms, adherence, side effects, and response to
treatment. Care Management is algorithm-driven care for conditions such as depression, panic
disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and chronic pain, and is delivered by a BHP as an
adjunct to primary care. The BHP monitors and encourages patient acceptance and adherence to
treatment recommendations through support, education, and motivational engagement.

The investigators will evaluate the extent to which SUSTAIN is related to program
participants' outcomes. The evaluation of the program relies on 2 sources of data: 1) a
retrospective chart review of data collected as part of the clinical program, which includes
data from the baseline and follow-up clinical interviews, and 2) data collected during a
one-time 6 Month Outcome Research Evaluation interview completed with SUSTAIN program
participants who provide verbal consent. The retrospective chart review will evaluate the
clinical data from 3000 PACE/PACENET enrollees who participate in the PACE/PACENET SUSTAIN
Clinical Program (which includes both Monitoring and Care Management). The 6 Month Outcome
Research Evaluation will evaluate long term outcomes among a subset of participants.

Clinical Program Procedures:

Referred PACE/PACENET enrollees are contacted to complete an initial baseline clinical
interview. Following the baseline interview, enrollees are offered several different
services, depending on clinical need: Referral Management, Care Management, or Monitoring.
Enrollee participation in the program occurs over the span of up to six months, with the
number of calls based upon the follow-up service.

Study Procedures:

A. Retrospective Chart Review Procedures:

The retrospective chart review of the clinical data (i.e., data collected at baseline and
during Monitoring and Care Management visits) will be conducted and saved as a separate
research database. The research database will be de-identified (but include coded data) and
kept in a separate password protected file.

B. 6 Month Outcome Research Evaluation Procedures:

PACE/PACENET enrollees who participate in the SUSTAIN Clinical Program will be asked to
provide verbal HIPAA authorization and consent for participation in the 6 Month Outcome
Research Evaluation at the end of the acute phase of clinical care, usually at three months.
Enrollees providing verbal consent to participate in the 6 Month Outcome Research Evaluations
will be called again at 6 months following the date of the initial clinical interview. At the
6 Month Outcome Research call, assessments will be conducted that mirror the SUSTAIN Clinical
Program baseline assessment.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Aged 65 and older, males and females.

2. Participating in the SUSTAIN Clinical Program

3. For the 6 Month Outcome Research Evaluation, in addition to meeting criteria 1 and 2,
willing to provide verbal informed consent to participate in the 6 Month Outcome
Research Evaluation at the end of the acute phase of clinical care, usually at three
months.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Not meeting the inclusion criteria listed above.