Behavioral Health Utilization Skyrocketed 40% in 2023 Compared to Pre-COVID Levels

Behavioral health utilization is accelerating even as other levels of care are diminishing in the wake of the COVID pandemic. A new report from the health care data and services company Trilliant Health shows that behavioral health utilization in the U.S. was up 40% in 2023 compared to 2019. Utilization is also accelerating. Behavioral health […]

Acadia to Pay $19.85M to Settle Whistleblower Allegations Relating to Medically Unnecessary Inpatient Behavioral Health Services

Behavioral health care giant Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) will pay $19.85 million to the U.S. and several states’ governments to resolve allegations that it knowingly billed for medically unnecessary behavioral health services and endangered patients. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Acadia falsely billed Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE for inpatient behavioral health services […]

‘Wrapping a Fence Around Communities’: Aware Recovery Care, Hartford HealthCare Take Pop Health Approach to SUD Treatment with New Strategic Partnership

For years, health systems have been teaming up with external providers to better serve the individuals entering and exiting their facilities. A prime example of this trend is post-acute care, with most of the nation’s large health systems now having robust home health and hospice strategies. To some degree, this trend hasn’t hit behavioral health […]

Half of Older Adults Say Their Health Care Providers Don’t Ask About Their Mental Health

Older Americans feel that the health care system rarely accounts for the totality of their health care wants and needs, including behavioral health. About half of those age 65 and older (45%) say their doctor asks about their mental health. Even fewer, about 40%, consider their cognitive and brain functioning. “Older adults are stuck in […]

Acadia Healthcare Shutters 5 Facilities, CEO Waves Off Excoriating Senate At-Risk Youth Report

Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc. (Nasdaq: ACHC) is now more likely to shutter underperforming facilities than in the past. The Franklin, Tennessee-based behavioral health operator has closed five facilities in the last month, CEO Chris Hunter said on Acadia Healthcare’s second-quarter earnings call. It closed two in the previous quarter. “If we’re seeing facilities that are […]

Emergency Rooms Emerge as Critical Entry Point for Substance Use Disorder Care

The emergency department (ED) can be the “first, and sometimes only” interaction that people with substance use disorders (SUDs) have with the health care system. Integrating SUD care into EDs can connect these patients to crucial long-term care. Still, co-occurring conditions, stigma and polysubstance use are among the main barriers preventing efficient integration. The ED […]

UHS Sells 80-Bed Psychiatric Facility to Texas-Based Operator

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) plans to sell River Crest Hospital, a San Angelo, Texas-based facility, to Shannon Health System, a healthcare provider based in the same city. The parties did not disclose the terms of the deal. The move expands the nonprofit Shannon Health System’s behavioral health division. Presently, Shannon operates a 22-bed inpatient […]

Payers Reimburse Behavioral Health Hospital Services At 34% Below Costs

Behavioral health underpayments are among the highest across hospital services, highlighting the financial drag health systems face when providing these services. Across all payers, inpatient behavioral health services are reimbursed at an average of 34.3% less than the cost to provide them. Behavioral health services effectively tie inpatient nephrology in terms of underpayment. On average, […]

Acadia Healthcare Prioritizes Integrating Service Lines

Integrating service lines is a crucial priority for behavioral health provider Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC). Acadia is the largest behavioral health provider in the country and offers inpatient and outpatient mental health care, substance use disorder services, eating disorder care and various other offerings. Acadia CEO Chris Hunter noted that patients in their care often […]

Veterans Turning to Private Mental Health: What Providers Need to Know

American veterans are estimated to die by suicide at a rate 57% higher than their civilian counterparts. The specific lived experiences of veterans and their families come with peculiar stressors. And while the data on veteran behavioral health is mixed, the elevated prevalence of suicide among veterans is undeniable. Several behavioral health organizations have or […]