Mental Health Parity: Interim Final Rules Review

ValueOptions continues to be actively involved in supporting our customers in the implementation of parity. The interim final rules were released on January 29, 2010. These rules clarify many of the previous areas that were unclear in the parity law.

ValueOptions is hosting a client summit featuring two industry experts who will discuss what you should know, as an employer, about the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

As your behavioral health and workplace partner, we will share information during this summit to help you:

• Understand the scope of this law and what is required of employers;
• Make key decisions related to your current mental health/substance abuse benefit; and
• Evaluate any benefit and/or cost impact this law may have on your organization.

Edward R. Jones, Ph.D, Senior Vice President
Dr. Jones serves as SVP of the Commercial Division for ValueOptions. In that role he is responsible for all commercial business, which includes 16 million members and 6 service centers that are dedicated to ensuring the highest quality care and service for those members. He is also accountable for commercial sales and the management of existing accounts.

Dr. Jones has worked as both a provider of care and a business executive during his career. He worked as a psychologist in private practice during the 1980s and then honed his business management skills as co-owner and co-director of a multi-disciplinary group practice founded in 1991. This business grew and merged with another group so that by 1997 he was serving as Executive Director of Behavioral Health Network (BHN), an integrated group practice providing services for patients in a seven-county Southern California region.

Dr. Jones is a featured speaker at many national and state conferences on behavioral health and outcomes management. He has authored several articles on subjects such as improving detection of suicide and substance abuse risk, as well as improving clinical outcomes in large systems of care.

Currently a member of the editorial board of Behavioral Healthcare magazine, Dr. Jones holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Northwestern University.

Paul Rosenberg, J.D.
Mr. Rosenberg has practiced law for over thirty years. He currently serves as General Counsel for the Corporate Division of ValueOptions.

Mr. Rosenberg has served as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President, and General Counsel for various hospital systems for the past twenty years, including Shands Health Care System, Duke University Medical Center, and Johns Hopkins Health System. In these roles, Mr. Rosenberg was responsible for legal affairs, government relations, compliance, privacy, business development, insurance regulations, and risk management.

Mr. Rosenberg has taught in a university setting, written several publications, and served as a community advocate for low income families through various non profit organizations. Mr. Rosenberg was the founding director of Integrated Mental Health, a corporation providing community-based funding for ambulatory mental health services and capitated care for de-institutionalized patients in Rochester, New York.

Mr. Rosenburg attended Brown University for his A.B. degree and the University of Cincinnati College of Law for his Juris Doctorate degree.