Spring Health Partners With Eleanor Health, Announces Collaboration with Highmark Health

In recent years, employers have seen substance use disorder (SUD) claims increase. New York-based Spring Health is looking to address this issue by partnering with Eleanor Health.  Spring launched its SUD program in 2021 and continued to expand its offerings, partly through partnerships with other SUD providers. The partnership with Eleanor is Spring’s latest effort […]

‘An Economic Incentive to Care’: Improving Behavioral Health Equity Boosts Bottom Lines

Payers and employers often have a blind spot when it comes to addressing inequities in behavioral health. But ignoring mental health care inequities can increase overall health care costs.   An analysis from Deloitte suggested that inequities have led to $320 billion in annual health care spending — “signaling an unsustainable crisis for the industry.” That figure […]

How AI Brings the Human Element to SUD Treatment While Saving Time

Between 40% and 60% of people with substance use disorder (SUD) relapse after detox and rehabilitation. Providers are eyeing artificial intelligence (AI) as a key to help improve that statistic. The technology, which is not without its risks, has already been used for years in behavioral health treatment. In the SUD field, machine-learning tech is […]

Future Leader: Andrew Sfreddo, Senior Director & Head of Behavioral Healthcare, Blueprint, HCRE

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of behavioral health, senior housing, skilled nursing, home health, and hospice care. To see this year’s Future Leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/. Andrew Sfreddo, Senior Director and Head of […]

Embark Behavioral Health Opens 3 New Clinics; Monte Nido Opens Residential Program In Arizona

Embark Behavioral Health Opens Trio of New Outpatient Clinics  Chandler, Arizona-based Embark Behavioral Health opened three new outpatient clinics in Southern California to provide accessible mental health services to youths, young adults, and their families. Located in Woodland Hills, West Los Angeles and Newport Beach, the new programs will offer comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for anxiety, […]

‘We’ve Got To Do More’: Providers Seek To Close Gap In Mental Health Care For Neurodiverse People

People with autism are four times as likely to experience depression in their life than typically-developing peers. Despite the increased risk, people with autism or other neurodiversities often face significant obstacles when seeking mental health care. Barriers like clinicians’ lack of specialty training, staffing shortages and pitfalls with payers often prevent neurodiverse people from accessing […]

Medicaid Value-Based Payment Reform Linked to Reduced Mental Health ER Visits

State Medicaid programs are increasingly overhauling payment structures in favor of value-based payment systems. A new report suggests that value-based payment reform may decrease mental health emergency room visits. Value-based payment strategies reward providers and health plans with incentive payments for the quality, rather than quantity, of care provided to patients. A new study published […]

Lawmakers Propose New Bill Aimed at Funding Health Care Workforce, New Mental Health Centers

A new bill designed to combat the health care workforce shortage would, if passed, funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to provide scholarships and debt forgiveness for 20,000 health care workers, including mental health professionals. The additional funding would increase the amount currently allocated to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) from $310 million to […]

70M Americans Have SUD, Mental Health Conditions; 72% Say They’re Recovering

Over 70% of adults who report having ever had substance use or mental health conditions consider themselves in recovery or recovering. Still, factors like education, income and sexuality may impact who is recovering. This finding was among those compiled in a report released Wednesday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Using […]

‘It Is Time to Acknowledge’ the Role of Nurse Practitioners Amid Mental Health Care Shortage

Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNPs) are entering the field at a rate far exceeding psychiatrists, a trend that reveals significant opportunities for policy reform. The number of PMHNPs in the field skyrocketed in the past five years, while the number of psychiatric residency matches grew at only a linear rate, according to a new […]