Polaris-DV
An efficient and effective solution for domestic violence screening, referral and service planning
Polaris-DV is an actionable clinical data solution that supports improved clinical outcomes and continual assessment across different environments that address intimate partner violence. The system has been successfully used in medical settings, and extensively piloted in Family Justice partnerships.
With Polaris-DV, providers can assess for the mental impact of abuse, determine and monitor an appropriate treatment plan and document the high-risk attitudes, behaviors and long-term relational schema for revictimization. Real-time reports allow providers to take immediate action in setting victims on the road to recovery.
The system also addresses a costly service gap for domestic violence victims. Less than 10 percent of providers routinely screen for IPV, which has significant physical, mental and economic consequences. Undiagnosed abuse can lead to increased health care utilization and hospitalizations—abused women can use up to 33 percent more health care services than non-abused women.
Why Polaris-DV Makes Business Sense
Reduce costs related to health care utilization:
(1) Abused women are at higher risk for long-term chronic disease and use up to 33 percent more health care services
(2) In one study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, health care costs of domestic violence victims were an average of more than $1,200 above non-abused women for the first two years after the abuse ended and about $400 more in the third year (Fishman et al; 2010).
(3) Abused women frequently use more specialized care than non-abused women
The failure to identify intimate partner violence leads to:
(1) Costly incorrect diagnoses and inappropriate tests
(2) Ongoing morbidity and mortality
(3) Prolonged exposure to violence for children can place them at higher risk as adults for substance abuse, obesity, depression, heart disease, diabetes and suicide, among other adverse outcomes.
Early interventions make a difference
(1) Research shows that long-term costs related to domestic violence are linked to severity –in other words, early interventions are crucial!
(2) But screening is not enough. Along with helping providers detect domestic violence, it also assists with treatment referral and long-term monitoring, which is crucial for an abused woman to move towards recovery and avoid revictimization.
Return on Investment
(1) The cost of intervention now is balanced by the long-term savings realized by recovery from abuse
(2) Emerging research expects to demonstrate a 20 percent decrease in health care costs as a result of hospital-based domestic violence interventions
(3) Affordable Care Act: Beginning in 2012 preventive health services for women must be completely covered by health insurance plans--no co-pay, co-insurance or deductible. This includes domestic violence screening and counseling.
Levels of value
(1) The provider and the consumer see better service outcomes and benefit from more effective communication and decision support
(2) At the organization level, you will see consistent improvements in service delivery and financial performance and have at your fingertips immediate access to objective data, metrics and reports
Product Highlights
✔ Scientifically Sound- Developed with funding support from the National Institutes of Health
✔ Better Outcomes, Lower Costs- By supporting early intervention, the system can help improve mental health outcomes, reduce the risk of revictimization and lower the long-term costs related to health care utilization, chronic diseases and employment.
✔ Minimal Respondent Burden- The assessment can be completed in 15 minutes or less in a secure and safe environment; it can be administered via the Web, paper/fax, mail or by phone/Interactive Voice Response.
✔ Real-time, Consumer-friendly Report gives physicians a “drill down” summary of strengths and mental health symptomology, and flags whether the client is in immediate danger; reports can be used by providers to discuss treatment needs with the client.
✔ Strength-based to Support Recovery from Trauma- Focuses on the development of resilience, helps physicians build clinical “roadmaps” to encourage positive behaviors and reduction of trauma, and supports early engagement in treatment
✔ Compatible with a variety of medical settings to provide clinical decision support, and is easily integrated into already existing procedures
✔ Better Match Clients to Services and Monitor Progress- Helps providers better identify the care their clients need across clinical profiles, and monitor their progress with update assessments
✔ HIPAA-Compliant & Secure- More than 140,000 patient assessments have been administered without a single breach of security; Polaris-DV is a safe and secure way for victims of abuse to exercise their voices and express their treatment needs.
✔ Benchmark progress to similar medical sector programs, and identify and help reduce variation in practice across providers
✔ Training- Core software training takes less than one hour to complete; specialized clinical training is also available.
The Polaris-DV Advantage
✔ Enthusiastic Client Acceptance- Among clients who used the system, 96 percent had “little or no” problems completing the assessments; nearly 99 percent were “glad to do it/didn’t mind completing it” to get better services.
✔ Flexible and Easy to Use- Choose the assessment and reporting components that make the most sense for your practice and will provide the data you require to make decisions about referrals, medication and mental health treatment.
✔ Aggregate and Case-Level Data for Treatment Evaluation- Quickly determine whether the services you provide are having an impact, and use the data for evidence-supported policy decisions; combine Polaris case-level data with cost data to identify the most cost-effective services relative to outcome.
Polaris-DV Clinical Content
✔ Assesses mental health needs often co-morbid with domestic violence, including depression anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder
✔ Assesses progress in recovering from abuse, including changes in the long-term abuse schema that indicate risk for future violent relationships
✔ Assesses compensating adult strengths, such as resiliency and goal directiveness
✔ Assesses readiness to change, self-harm and the likelihood of immediate harm
✔ Contains indicators for emotion regulation, trauma impact and strength of relationships and support systems
Contact us at moreinfo@polarishealth.com to find out more about the benefits your practice will see by using Polaris-DV.
We are committed to helping you succeed in improving the outcomes and long-term recovery of the domestic violence victims you serve.
