Truven Health Analytics Receives $1.35 Million Hilton Foundation Grant to Analyze Effect of Health Reform on Teen Substance Abuse

Researchers Will Rely on Best-in-Class Analytics to Determine Effectiveness of ACA, Parity Act

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--()--Truven Health Analytics announced today that it will partner with Legal Action Center (LAC) and the Treatment Research Institute (TRI) to determine the effects of recent healthcare legislation on adolescent substance use care.

The three partners will be funded by a three-year, $1.35 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. By utilizing their best-in-class insurance claims data, Truven Health researchers will analyze how the full range of adolescent prevention and early intervention services -- available as a result of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (Parity Act) – are being offered, and to what extent insurers are implementing these services.

"We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to address this public health problem," said Tami Mark, vice president, behavioral health and quality research at Truven Health Analytics and the lead researcher on the grant. "At its root, substance use disorder is a developmental disease. Addressing risky substance use by adolescents in primary care settings is critical to preventing risky use from progressing to addiction and, ultimately, to saving lives."

Truven Health, a leading healthcare data and analytics company, has been working to uncover ways to improve the financing and delivery of substance use disorder services for the past 20 years. The three-year project will document and analyze the status of ACA and Parity Act implementation with respect to substance abuse screening and prevention; evaluate whether and how primary care providers deliver substance abuse prevention and early intervention; inform and educate purchasers, payers, and other stakeholders of the services mandated by law; and ensure that providers understand federal confidentiality rules.

“We know youth are particularly vulnerable to the harms associated with substance misuse, and if we can help prevent them from using or intervene early it is unlikely they will develop a substance use disorder,” says Steven M. Hilton, Chairman, President and CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. “We believe the project at hand and the partners leading it will significantly improve the use of evidence-based approaches to preventing, treating, and ultimately reducing substance use among adolescents.”

For more information, visit truvenhealth.com.

About Truven Health Analytics

Truven Health Analytics delivers the answers that clients need to improve healthcare quality and access while reducing costs. We provide market leading performance improvement built on data integrity and empirical truth. For more than 30 years, our insights and solutions have been providing hospitals and clinicians, employers and health plans, state and federal government agencies, life sciences firms and policymakers the facts they need to make confident decisions that directly affect the health and wellbeing of people and organizations in the U.S. and around the world.

Truven Health Analytics owns some of the most trusted brands in healthcare, such as MarketScan, 100 Top Hospitals, Advantage Suite, Micromedex, Simpler, ActionOI, Heartbeat Experts and JWA. Truven Health has its principal offices in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago; and Denver. For more information, please visit www.truvenhealth.com.

About Legal Action Center

The Legal Action Center is the only non-profit law and policy organization in the United States whose sole mission is to fight discrimination against people with histories of addiction, HIV/AIDS, or criminal records, and to advocate for sound public policies in these areas. For four decades, LAC has worked to combat the stigma and prejudice that keep these individuals out of the mainstream of society. The Legal Action Center is committed to helping people reclaim their lives, maintain their dignity, and participate fully in society as productive, responsible citizens. Learn more.

About Treatment Research Institute

Treatment Research Institute has been a leader in the substance use research field, with a belief that science can only be truly impactful when it is used to improve policies, programs and practices. TRI’s work focuses on applying research to change behaviors, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for individuals, families, and communities affected by addiction. Collaborations with distinguished partners from across the globe have enhanced TRI’s quest to advance the ways in which addiction is perceived and cared for. TRI’s relentless commitment to discovering and disseminating SOLUTIONS to substance-use problems drives its work, mission, and vision. Learn more.

About Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation was created in 1944 by international business pioneer Conrad N. Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels and left his fortune to help the world’s disadvantaged and vulnerable people. The Foundation currently conducts strategic initiatives in six priority areas: providing safe water, ending chronic homelessness, preventing substance abuse, helping children affected by HIV and AIDS, supporting transition-age youth in foster care, and extending Conrad Hilton’s support for the work of Catholic Sisters. In addition, following selection by an independent international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $1.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to a nonprofit organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. From its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 billion in grants, distributing $92 million in the U.S. and around the world in 2013. The Foundation’s current assets are approximately $2.4 billion. Learn more.

Contacts

For Truven Health Analytics
J. Roderick, Inc.
Brian Erni, 631-584-2200
brian@jroderick.com

Release Summary

Truven Health Analytics Receives $1.35 Million Hilton Foundation Grant to Analyze Effect of Health Reform on Teen Substance Abuse

Contacts

For Truven Health Analytics
J. Roderick, Inc.
Brian Erni, 631-584-2200
brian@jroderick.com