Polaris Presents at 2011 CANS Conference

LANGHORNE, PA, May 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) Dr. Linda Toche-Manley, vice president of Polaris Health Directions, presented last week at the 7th annual Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Conference on using data collected by an enhanced version of the CANS assessment, called Smart-Wraparound, to develop predictive algorithms that help providers better determine optimal services for troubled youth.

Using the results of a five-year study that focused on applying clinical data to better plan and manage the treatment of youth in behavioral health rehabilitative services (BHRS), Toche-Manley described the added value of advanced predictive analytics. For example, based on one analysis from the study, fewer than half of the youth in a Pennsylvania county received the most effective mix of services based on their condition when it was treatment as usual. But with the powerful addition of clinical reports that include service mix recommendations derived from predictive algorithms, this same county projected a 38 percent improvement in outcomes and a 29 percent reduction in cost.

Toche-Manley further pointed out that these algorithms continue to "learn" as the Smart-Wraparound system collects more data. "They are best thought of as part of a larger learning system that is contextual and changeable over time," she said.

Smart-Wraparound is a solution for cost-effectively improving the performance of BHRS, by incorporating standardized behavioral health assessments and predictive technology. It is one of a suite of public sector, adult and youth solutions developed by Polaris that include advanced predictive analytics. Smart-Wraparound gives clinicians evidence-based guidance that leads to improved treatment and service prescribing practices. This means better clinical outcomes at lower costs, and less variation in provider practice.

The CANS Conference, held in Baltimore, Md., was sponsored by the PRAED Foundation and UMB Innovations Institute.

For more information on Smart-Wraparound or the presentation, contact Polaris at moreinfo@polarishealth.com. Visit our website: http://www.polarishealth.com or follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections.com.

About Polaris Health Directions

At Polaris, we recognize that organizations cannot manage what they do not measure. Many behavioral health care providers and payers may not be collecting and analyzing enough of the right data to answer basic questions about the cost-effectiveness of the care they offer. Polaris's advanced technology and science driven assessment systems are designed to capture the clinical data essential to quality improvement and enhanced organizational management. Polaris solutions provide advanced analytics to help you improve and demonstrate to your customers the value of your care. With a focus on prediction, Polaris solutions do more than describe clinical change. Our systems also indicate if treatment is likely to have a positive result. Helping you make better decisions in the present by anticipating the future will be the difference in reducing your costs while improving patient care.