Magellan Healthcare and Invo Healthcare Announce Value-Based Care Collaboration Focused on Improved Autism Outcomes

Magellan Healthcare, the behavioral health division of Magellan Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGLN), announced today the launch of a pilot in collaboration with Invo Healthcare to define standards of care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) undergoing applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment.

According to the CDC, 1 in 54¹ children are diagnosed with ASD with some states reporting 1 in 32² children receiving a diagnosis. The collaboration between Magellan and Invo is an innovative value-based care (VBC) model intended to define standards for ABA treatment and measure progress against them. The model will help providers deliver better care, resulting in improved outcomes for children with ASD and those who care for them.

Because ABA is a newer treatment than psychotherapy and other therapies, limited academic literature exists to support providers in effective decision-making for intensity and length of care. In addition, treatment plans are individualized and require extensive monitoring with heavy reliance on caregivers, nearly 50%³ of whom need help managing emotional and physical stress. This makes it difficult for families to gauge treatment effectiveness and contributes to the rising costs of mandated ASD treatment. In fact, according to the CDC, in addition to medical costs, intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism cost $40,000 to $60,000 per child per year.⁴

To address these challenges, Magellan and Invo are reimagining the clinical model for ABA by offering an innovative solution that will emphasize efficacy, improve member engagement, drive data-informed decision-making and deliver stronger clinical outcomes.

“Families will be supported throughout their journey and benefit from clear communication at the outset regarding the appropriate intensity and length of treatment for their child,” said Yagnesh Vadgama, BCBA, vice president, clinical care services autism, Magellan Healthcare. “Providers will benefit from an enhanced relationship with Magellan’s clinical team who will closely monitor data and adherence to defined clinical standards and quality metrics that will result in improved outcomes with increased member and provider satisfaction.”