ATAP and ERPHealth launch ATAP HPN for outcomes-based behavioral health care

PHILADELPHIA — The Allied Trades Assistance Program (ATAP) and ERPHealth have launched the ATAP High Performance Network (HPN), a groundbreaking behavioral health network that integrates outcomes-based care with organized labor’s input. This initiative marks a significant shift in how unions can influence and manage access to high-quality mental health services, focusing on measurable outcomes and performance.

Unlike traditional models that rely on access and utilization data, the HPN aims to provide a more comprehensive approach to behavioral healthcare. It leverages independent measurement to assess whether members are engaging in treatment, improving over time, and receiving care from providers who can demonstrate measurable results. This network brings together behavioral health providers, digital engagement tools, peer navigation, and value-based payment strategies within a unified framework.

Ken Serviss, Executive Director of ATAP, emphasized the importance of this new approach: "Behavioral healthcare is entering a new era where access alone is no longer sufficient. Our members deserve care that is measurable, coordinated, and focused on helping them return to healthy, productive lives."

The HPN's key feature is its standardized, third-party validated outcomes measurement system. ERPHealth, a partner in the initiative, provides the independent measurement infrastructure. This system ensures that engagement, clinical progress, and outcomes are evaluated consistently across the network, creating a common performance language for all stakeholders.

For service providers, the model offers a chance to distinguish quality through demonstrated results. For healthcare purchasers, it provides greater insight into the value generated by behavioral health spending. And for members and their families, it adds another layer of accountability to their healthcare decisions.

Gordon Simmons, Founder of The Forge Group and a Senior Strategy Advisor to ERPHealth, highlighted the unique opportunity organized labor has in shaping the future of American healthcare. "Organized labor sits at the intersection of members, employers, providers, health plans, and communities. ATAP is moving beyond simple healthcare purchasing and demonstrating how to actively organize a system around quality and measurable performance."

The HPN is designed to serve as a scalable model for other Taft-Hartley funds and high-performing behavioral health providers. It aims to support more sophisticated member navigation, provider differentiation, and network design, ultimately improving both clinical and economic performance.

"We believe this model can be expanded beyond the Mid-Atlantic region and potentially into additional labor markets across the country," said Serviss. "The broader objective is to demonstrate that behavioral healthcare can move beyond measuring how much care was delivered toward answering the more critical question: Did it work?"

This innovative approach by ATAP and ERPHealth represents a significant step forward in the integration of labor-led initiatives with evidence-based care, potentially setting a new standard for behavioral health networks nationwide.