Growth of Collaborative Care Model Driven by ‘Pockets of Champions’

The use of collaborative care models has taken off in terms of utilization by providers and patients alike.  A new study by Milliman details explosive early growth of the collaborative care model, an integration of behavioral health services into the primary care setting.  Depending on how you slice it, the report shows massive growth increases […]

‘It’s Impossible to Separate Mental and Physical Health Care’: Why LifeSpring Health Systems Prioritizes Integrated Care

The safety-net and nonprofit segments of the addiction treatment industry have long faced immense challenges. But those challenges have produced some of the most compelling innovations in terms of clinical, operational and reimbursement models. One key element of this development is the necessity to understand a community’s needs, Beth Keeney, CEO and president of Jeffersonville, […]

New Federal Data Reveal Best and Worst Performing Psychiatric Hospitals

Psychiatric hospital data submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) illustrate a vast range of care and procedural outcomes. They also show that even the best-performing hospitals have limits when striving for operational and clinical perfection. In other words, no psych hospitals are batting 1.000. Nonetheless, these and other data demonstrate […]

Behavioral Health Crisis Care May Be an Under-the-Radar Opportunity for Providers, Investors

This is an exclusive BHB+ story During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of emergency department (ED) visits for behavioral health conditions spiked. News stories of excessive boarding times for pediatric and adult patients needing behavioral health services dotted national news sites. While the national health emergency has ended, the needs of patients in behavioral health […]

Acadia Healthcare Leadership Focuses on 2026 Growth Strategy Despite 2024 Financial Challenge

Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) reported diminished earnings and revenue growth in 2024. During Friday’s Q4 earnings call, company executives said they expect to see its [growth/efficiency?] efforts pay off in 2026. In 2022, CEO Chris Hunter vowed to double Acadia Healthcare’s revenue by 2028. The markets did not respond well to the news of the […]

UHS Forecasts Strong Behavioral Health Growth Despite Political Uncertainty on Medicaid Funding

Universal Health Service (NYSE: UHS) has reported strong annual financial performance – as well as concern regarding potential Medicaid budget cuts.   Medicaid changes have negatively impacted UHS’s behavioral health arm before. In 2024, the provider attributed low behavioral health patient days, in part, to Medicaid redeterminations.  “We acknowledge that the current political environment has created […]

Headline Risk May Shift JV Market Away from For-Profit Operators

This is an exclusive BHB+ story A rash of brutally negative press for some of the nation’s largest behavioral health providers may encourage the primarily nonprofit American hospital sector to look for potential partners that look like them — in other words, to be nonprofits. According to a handful of interviews and networking conversations I’ve […]

Acadia Healthcare Predicts Profitability Pop by 2026

Behavioral health titan Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) saw the largest expansion of its bed count in its history during 2024. The expansion will lead to a spike in startup costs and a potential hit to profitability in 2025. Going into 2026, Acadia Healthcare executives speaking at the 2025 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference say that they […]

‘You’re Constantly on This Hamster Wheel’:  Psychiatric Facilities at a Crossroads

This is an exclusive BHB+ story A slew of psychiatric facilities have closed as the industry faces growing pains. These closures come in the wake of several of the largest players in the space facing misconduct allegations. The result has been several facility closures, exacerbating the shortage of inpatient and acute psychiatric services at a […]