Expanding the Tent

Stakeholder Perspectives on the Current and Future State of Quality and Outcomes in the Treatment of ASD

Participants

• Chair: Matt McAlear, CalABA, FirstSteps for Kids
• Mai Pham, MD, MPH, Institute for Exceptional Care
• Steven Merahn, MD, FAAP, Partners Health Plan
• Doug Moes, PhD, BCBA-D, The Stepping Stones Group
• Ashley Drag, MS, BCBA, ACES
• Teri Gahre, CCC-SLP, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group

The field of ABA is at a critical juncture as it attempts to formalize uniform practice standards related to quality and outcomes in the treatment of ASD. Professional and trade organizations have helped lead the way in establishing quality practice standards and outcome measure sets to inform best practices. Payers have begun to consider Value Based Payment models and call upon providers to demonstrate their effectiveness through aggregated outcomes. Client and family advocacy groups are challenging providers to rethink service delivery models from a Quality of Life and Equity Diversity and Inclusion perspective. These forces can create important and productive tension among stakeholders as ABA continues to advance and evolve in the treatment of ASD. This panel discussion intends to bring stakeholders together to answer a series of questions on where we’ve been and where we need to go as a field if we are going to get it right.

Panel Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe two efforts of behavior analytic professional and trade organizations in establishing clinical outcome measurements
2. Participants will describe two examples of emerging Value Based Payment pilots between behavior analytic providers and payers
3. Participants will describe two Quality of Life and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion related outcomes for behavior analytic treatment of ASD
4. Participants will be able to identify two key stakeholders involved in establishing best practices for quality and outcomes in behavior analytic services