Polaris presents at the National Conference on Health & Domestic Violence

LANGHORNE, PA, April 04, 2012 (Press-News.org) On March 30, Dr. Linda Toche-Manley, vice president of Polaris Health Directions, presented at the National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence on using technology to better detect interpersonal violence (IPV) among chemically dependent adults.

The presentation illustrated the advantages offered by a computer-based outcomes management system designed for chemical dependency treatment environments that can support the screening and monitoring of IPV. This innovative concept addresses two key issues that exist within addictions medicine: patients with substance dependency are at higher risk for IPV and the counselors that treat them are typically not trained to detect domestic abuse.

The system, Polaris-CD, has been used in substance abuse treatment programs since 2001 to help identify areas of patient needs, such as mental health, employment or family, design effective treatment plans based on this information and monitor case progress. Added to Polaris-CD were three items to determine the existence of current domestic violence; since 2007 the system has included questions about past abuse. Dr. Toche-Manley and her co-presenter, Jim Selfa, of Kaiser Permanente, discussed the lessons and outcomes of an implementation of the newly augmented system.

The results of the first phase of integration showed promise in several respects, including providing a platform for domestic violence screening, monitoring and staff training without disrupting the clinical workflow in substance abuse treatment programs. Positive outcomes in chemical dependency environments suggest that similar adoptions would be appropriate for other behavioral health and health care settings that encounter adult survivors of abuse, such as internal medicine and OB/GYN.

The sixth biennial National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence was held in San Francisco from March 29-March 31, 2012.

For more information, contact Polaris at moreinfo@polarishealth.com or visit http://polarishealth.com/polaris-cd-chemical-dependency/. Follow Polaris on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/polarishealthdirections.

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. For more information visit http://www.polarishealth.com.