Though by many measures and behaviors we’ve shifted to the endemic phase of COVID-19, our health care system continues to grapple with a crisis exacerbated by the pandemic: mental health. The ongoing difficulties and uncertainties driven by the pandemic led to a worsening of many pre-existing mental health issues and the emergence of new ones….
When the covid-19 pandemic swept the country in early 2020 and emptied doctors’ offices nationwide, telemedicine was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Patients and their physicians turned to virtual visits by video or phone rather than risk meeting face-to-face. During the early months of the pandemic, telehealth visits for care exploded. “It was a dramatic shift…
Independence Blue Cross (Independence) has announced that it will renew its long-term value-based care contract with Jefferson Health. The provider will participate in Independence’s Total Value of Care value-based care program starting on January 1, 2023. Independence, a payer in southeastern Pennsylvania, has already been in a value-based care partnership with the non-profit health system and teaching…
An increased public recognition of the need for behavioral health treatment is one of the top trends in behavioral health care for 2022, an expert says. Jason Washburn, PhD, MA, is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine as well as a member of the board of advisors…
At psychiatric hospitals and other inpatient behavioral health facilities, good performance on routine quality measures does not necessarily lead to improvement in symptoms and other patient self-reported outcomes (SROs), reports a study in the November/December issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality (JHQ), the peer-reviewed journal of the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ). “[O]ur analyses suggest…
COVID-19 exacted a toll on health citizens’ mental health, worsening a public health challenge that was already acute before the pandemic. It’s World Mental Health Day, an event marked by global and local stakeholders across the mental health ecosystem. On the global front, the World Health Organization (WHO) describes the universal phenomenon and burden of mental…
The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model has been shown to reduce hospitalizations, cut costs and improve employee recruitment and retention for participants. And on top of all that, it can also help set providers up for success in value-based care models. “CCBHC funds can really help organizations put those building blocks into place…
Amid pervasive workforce shortages and a growing demand for services, Optum Behavioral Health is working to reimagine the way behavioral health care is delivered. CEO Katherine Hobbs Knutson, who joined the company about a year ago, is leading the charge. “That divide between … what exists in the field versus what people actually have access…
In 2019, more than 1 in 5 US adults experienced mental illness, with 5.2% experiencing serious mental illness. In 2020, the percentage of uninsured adults with mental illness increased to 10.5%, and 57% of all US adults experiencing a mental illness received no treatment. Existing issues with the fractured mental health care system in the…
Health plans in the United States are increasingly shifting away from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) reimbursement toward value-based care (VBC) models, which incent the quality of care as opposed to quantity. Although the promise of high-quality, cost-effective care is alluring, the adoption of and engagement in these programs has proven challenging for both plans and providers…