Mass. Insurer seeks personal details on mental health form

The Boston Globe reports:

The state's largest health insurer wants mental health patients to begin routinely filling out forms that include detailed questions about their sleep patterns, sex lives, and suicidal thoughts.

The questionnaire, designed to gauge a patient's state of mind, is part of an effort by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to measure the quality of mental health treatment its members receive. About 100,000 Blue Cross subscribers will receive the form, which was described in a mailing last week to psychiatrists and other mental health counselors.

Until now, psychiatrists and therapists have been required to file reports on patients' progress with Blue Cross. Starting next year, patients will be asked to make self-assessments by answering 58 questions, on paper or through a secure website. They will receive questionnaires after every eight counseling sessions, or more often if the insurer decides it's warranted.

The questions address a range of emotions and conditions, from guilt and worry to substance abuse and sexual satisfaction. Blue Cross says the responses will provide detailed snapshots of a patient's mental health. Over time, the company said, the forms will allow it to monitor progress, assess the quality of counseling and treatment, and identify patients who could benefit from more intensive therapy. As is the case now, decisions about care will be made in consultation with doctors, Blue Cross said, and the forms will not be used to deny coverage.

The questionnaires could eventually be used to establish quality rankings to help patients select doctors, as well as to reimburse providers based on their performance, the insurer said.

But some psychiatrists are skeptical about the accuracy of self-assessments, and others say patients will be reluctant to divulge highly personal information.

"Who in their right mind would fill out such a form?" said Dr. Marc Whaley , a Chatham psychiatrist and president of the Southeastern Massachusetts Psychiatric Society . "It's just an intrusive invasion of privacy."

The dry run for "universal health care".