ARMONK, N.Y. & TOKYO
IBM and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) today announced they are teaming to deliver a novel solution intended to improve care coordination in the mental health community.
Many challenges face mental healthcare delivery networks worldwide. Currently, almost 10 percent of patients discharged from a state psychiatric hospital in the U.S. are readmitted within 30 days, and over 20 percent more are readmitted within 180 days. In the U.S., the cost of re-incarceration of persons who suffer from severe mental illness is $15 billion. The IBM and Otsuka solution aims to help providers and communities reduce hospital readmissions and re-incarcerations.
The solution is designed to connect providers of mental health services including system leaders, payers, community mental health centers, hospitals, criminal justice systems, and social program organizations. It is expected to help create more comprehensive patient health records. Customized to meet the unique needs of each community that uses it, the focus across users will remain on improving the quality and efficiency of patient care.
“We are very pleased to be working with a leader such as IBM to bring science and technology together to build novel solutions to mental health challenges,” said Dieter Weinand, president of global commercialization and portfolio management for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. “With our long history and experience in the market, we know that many of the challenges of mental illness lie far beyond medication in a delivery system that is fragmented and inconsistent. Together with IBM, we aim to help transform the mental healthcare system, optimize the use of scarce resources more effectively, and improve the care and quality of life for society’s most vulnerable populations.”
The companies will initially work with communities across the U.S. and the U.K., with the intention to expand internationally. Both companies contribute resources and expertise to make the solution successful. IBM brings sophisticated information management and care coordination software, as well as strategic consulting in smarter care, and Otsuka, a big venture healthcare company, contributes a deep understanding of neuroscience, the mental healthcare industry and delivery system dynamics.
“Our hope is that by providing the right infrastructure to connect all the providers in the system, patients will receive more holistic care,” said Karen Parrish, vice president of industry solutions in IBM’s Software Group. “Our focus is on applying technology to make healthcare smarter.”
Since 2012, Otsuka has been collaborating with the South Florida Behavioral Health Network in Miami-Dade County to pilot a comprehensive solution aimed at improving the coordination of care. This ongoing community-based project marks the first application of the new solution from IBM and Otsuka. It uses custom-developed software and change management expertise to support the transformational efforts underway in South Florida.
“As an organization, we look proactively for creative solutions to coordinate care for our patients,” said John W. Dow, president and chief executive officer of the South Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc. “We invited Otsuka and IBM to conduct this pilot because of their innovative approach to improving efficiencies within our mental health system.”
The technology platform combines IBM software to coordinate care, and various data management tools with Otsuka’s deep disease-specific subject matter expertise in mental health to improve the following:
- Utilization management, including eligibility, enrollment and consent
- Care coordination across clinical and social programs settings
- Insights into patient risk factors, crisis onset, crisis patterns, and costs
- Patient engagement in care management plan
- Organizational change management support
About IBM
Learn more about IBM Smarter Care at ibm.com/smartercare.
About Otsuka
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka – people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative and original products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.
In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging area of mental health and also has research programs on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a “big venture” company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.
Otsuka is a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., the holding company for the Otsuka Group. The Otsuka Group employs approximately 42,000 people globally and its products are available in more than 80 countries worldwide. Otsuka welcomes you to visit its global website at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/.
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CONTACT
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Media Relations
Kevin Wiggins, 609-249-7292
or
IBM
Media Relations
Christine Douglass, 415-545-6737
