Achieve improved patient care around alcohol, depression, tobacco and other behavioral issues and a 4:1 return on investment due to increased work productivity and decreased medical costs.

BSI works for all

  • This is simply the right thing to do for your patients
  • This is not a research project, but rather a proven, evidence-based approach to improving patients' lives, identifying and addressing problems before they reach crisis levels
  • Screening for alcohol ranks #4 in a recent ranking of screening effectiveness -- ahead of screening for hypertension, high cholesterol, and all kinds of cancer
  • Due to high co-morbidity with other health issues and behaviors, BSI employed to address alcohol, depression, tobacco and other substance use will improve health in many areas
  • BSI can be employed to improve outcomes for other chronic diseases such as diabetes
  • Enhances smoking quit rates by many times
  • Our health-educator-driven BSI model is cost-neutral to profitable and requires the smallest time commitment possible from clinicians
  • High overall return on investment (ROI): 400% ROI for alcohol services in 12 months, and 300% ROI for depression services in 24 months

    Here in Wisconsin, rates of risky and problem drinking are among the highest in the nation. The economic toll on our health care, social services, and criminal justice systems is monumental.

    • Highest US binge/risky drinking rate:
      30%
    • Highest US prevalence of drunk driving:
      26%
    • Tobacco use:
      20%
    • Depression:
      8%
    • Illicit drug use at the US average:
      8%

    Alcohol and drug use in Wisconsin

    • 4th leading cause of death
    • 4th leading cause of hospitalization
    • More than $5 billion annual economic impact

    Our growing track record of success

    WIPHL's clinical partners have screened over 100,000 patients, delivered over 25,000 interventions, and garnered high patient and provider satisfaction. Regular binge drinking has declined by 20 percent

    Increasing expectation of service delivery

    by government, employers, the Joint Commission, NCQA, Wisconsin Medicaid, and others

    This effort is part of health care reform

    primary care settings, emergency departments, and hospital inpatient units will soon be pressed to provide systematic behavioral screening and intervention (BSI) to all patients -- in other words, you will need to adopt this type of screening eventually -- why not now?