Clinical Practice Guidelines

Current Clinical Practice Guidelines

In recent years, the process of developing clinical practice guidelines has undergone significant re-evaluation by national professional organizations including the American Medical Association and the National Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine). With an eye toward increasing rigor and improving transparency, these organizations have articulated principles that form the foundation for new standards of guideline development. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) have both published statements on their websites in support of these new standards.

Historically Beacon Health Options, Inc. (Beacon) and its legacy companies adopted clinical practice guidelines published by the APA, AACAP, and other professional organizations. This was based on their reputation as primary contributors and developers of guidelines representing acceptable standards of care at the time of origination.

Related to the continued evolution of clinical practice guideline development calling for higher standards of evidence, the industry currently has maintained or produced a limited number of guidelines that meet the new standards for guideline rigor and transparency. Accordingly, Beacon has reviewed and adopted the following guidelines that meet those standards:

Measurement of Clinical Practice Guidelines

With a goal of measuring Beacon’s network performance to best practices, Beacon has identified aspects of three (3) Clinical Practice Guidelines and Resources to assess via medical records. To review more information about the Provider Clinical Practice Performance Measurement, click here.

Clinical Practice Resources

The Clinical Practice Resources listed below are maintained separately from the Clinical Practice Guidelines listed above as the recommendations contained in the resource documents are more heavily based on expert consensus in areas where there is insufficient evidence in the literature base.

The Beacon Health Options Scientific Review Committee (SRC) reviews and/or updates current guidelines or those required by individual contracts at least every two years. Historical guidelines are provided for informational purposes only and are not subject to the same review. Clinical Practice Guidelines or Resources are considered for retirement to the historical section of the website when the publication is greater than five years from review date. The SRC reserves the right to continue endorsement of a guideline or practice resource that is older than five years when it remains clinically relevant and there does not exist an updated publication.