January 14, 2013
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Amy LaFrance
Minnesota Community Measurement
612.454.4827
lafrance@mncm.org
Ashley Williams
PineappleRM
612.226.5389
ashley@pineapplerm.com
Barb Tabor, APR
Tabor Communications Consulting
651.230.9192
barbaratabor@comcast.net
New online resource supports recovering from depression
MN Community Measurement, Minnesota Health Action Group develop provider and patient toolkit to improve
depression treatment, recovery and outcomes
MINNEAPOLIS (January 14, 2013) - A new online toolkit is available to help fight depression by delivering
evidence-based resources designed to improve collaboration between patients and health care providers.
Called the Help and Healing toolkit, this resource provides evidence-based treatment guidance for
professionals and easy-to-use resources to assist in depression recovery. The goal is to help people who have
depression get better, faster by fostering collaboration between patients and providers. The toolkit includes
patient and provider talking points, treatment planning, self-management techniques, and information to
help providers measure treatment outcomes.
This new resource is the result of a collaborative effort between MN Community Measurement, a non-profit
organization dedicated to improving health care through public reporting and measurement, and the
Minnesota Health Action Group, a non-profit coalition of public and private employers looking to improve the
value of the health care system in Minnesota, by focusing on higher quality, lower cost and better health
outcomes for all.
The Help and Healing project was developed by a working group of clinicians and related experts, including
patient advocates and employer representatives. The materials have been used and proven successful in
Minnesota clinics, and were reviewed and approved by the team of experts.
“We believe the successful treatment of depression depends on the collaboration between the provider and
the patient,” said Diane Mayberry, a nurse and director of business development at MN Community
Measurement, who co-managed the toolkit creation. “The tools included for this project have been
demonstrated to help address depression.”
The Help and Healing toolkit builds on a long-term depression treatment initiative in Minnesota. This
initiative emphasized the concept of collaborative care, which aims to improve the treatment of depression
by enhancing the partnership between the provider and the patient.
“There’s evidence to show that patients who are more engaged and active in their own treatment tend to have
better outcomes,” said Michael Trangle, a psychiatrist and associate medical director for Behavioral Health at
HealthPartners, who helped to develop the Help and Healing resource. “Engaged patients are more likely to
reach remission from their depression and also to stay in remission. Using the contents of the toolkit makes it
easier and more likely that patients will become more active and stay more active in managing their
depression and in staying in remission.”
Recognizing the importance of effective depression care, MN Community Measurement began reporting data
on depression outcomes in 2009. To encourage more providers to submit data, the Minnesota Health Action
Group began rewarding providers for delivering optimal depression care in 2009 through the group’s payfor-performance program, Minnesota Bridges to Excellence. Since then, the Minnesota Bridges to Excellence
program has recognized 97 clinics throughout the state for meeting or exceeding the guidelines for optimal
treatment of depression, and 105 clinics for increasing the number of patients to whom the PHQ-9 was
administered.
“Employers are aware of the impact depression can have on their employees, both personally and
professionally. The organizations that fund the Minnesota Bridges to Excellence rewards understand that
compensating health care providers who successfully help people with depression achieve optimal outcomes
is one way to shine a spotlight on this debilitating condition, and improve the quality of depression care,” said
Kris Soegaard, chief operating officer of the Minnesota Health Action Group and co-manager of the Help and
Healing toolkit.
Help & Healing information and resources can be accessed by patients or physicians online at
MNHealthScores.org/helpandhealing.
This project was made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Aligning Forces for Quality
initiative, the foundation’s signature effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities
throughout the country, reduce racial and ethnic disparities, and provide models for national reform.
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About MN Community Measurement
MN Community Measurement (MNCM.org) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of
health care in Minnesota by publicly reporting quality results. A trusted source of health care quality
measurement and public reporting since 2003, MN Community Measurement works with health plans,
providers, employers and consumers to spur quality improvement, reduce health care costs and maximize
value. See information about the quality of care in Minnesota at MNHealthScores.org.
About the Minnesota Health Action Group
Formed in 1988, the Minnesota Health Action Group (formerly the Buyers Health Care Action Group) is a
coalition of private and public health care purchasers representing the interests of the organizations that pay
for health care goods and services—those that have the highest stake in ensuring health care dollars are
carefully spent. The mission of the organization is to improve the value of the health care system in
Minnesota, driving for higher quality, lower cost and better health outcomes for all. To learn more, visit
MNHealthActionGroup.org.