Senate Finance Committee Releases Excoriating Investigation of Abuse in At-Risk Youth Industry

After years of facing criticism for wrongdoing and mistreatment of patients, the at-risk youth industry was blasted in a report released on Wednesday by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. The report and communications from the committee chairman, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), conclude that systemic harm and abuse are “routine” parts of the at-risk youth industry. […]

Why Acadia Healthcare Is Expanding Eating Disorder Treatment as Competitors Scale Back

Amid a slew of closures and layoffs in the eating disorder market, behavioral health provider Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) is expanding its eating disorder programming. Acadia is furthering its reach into trauma-focused treatment and wrap-around care, leadership told Behavioral Health Business. The provider also recently launched an eating disorder awareness campaign and plans to add […]

UHS Ordered to Pay $535M in Legal Case

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) intends to challenge a recent verdict that would require the company to pay $535 million in damages related to a sexual assault suit.  Pavilion Behavioral Health System, a subsidiary of UHS, denied any liability in a case that alleged that an underage patient was sexually assaulted by another underage patient […]

Ideal Option Opens Buprenorphine Clinic; THIRA Health Expands Service Lines with Adult Residential Program

SUD provider Ideal Option opens high-capacity addiction clinic Kennewick, Washington-based Ideal Option opened a 4,000-square-foot “flagship” clinic primarily designed to provide buprenorphine-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT). The clinic was partly funded through the American Rescue Plan Act through the City of Great Falls, Montana. “The grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act allows us to […]

Wilderness Therapy Industry’s Decline Accelerated by Embark Behavioral Health’s Exit

In case you missed it, Behavioral Health Business has launched a new specialty publication for professionals in the substance use disorder space. You can subscribe to Addiction Treatment Business here: Subscribe today! The behavioral health industry continues its shift away from adolescent wilderness therapy programs as payers opt for other care models and the segment grapples […]

PE Wary of Serious Mental Illness Investment, But Venture Capital May Be Ready to Pounce

While private equity investors continue to look for new opportunities in behavioral health, there is one area that is still relatively uncharted: serious mental illness (SMI) care. Caring for the SMI population can be very challenging and requires a multipronged approach, as well as a robust patient engagement plan. Due to these challenges, SMI care […]

Discovery Behavioral Health Trims Residential Care To Shift Business Strategy

Discovery Behavioral Health has consolidated or closed around 14 to 16 locations as part of a retooling of the company in the face of severe market pressures. The provider plans to deemphasize its focus on legacy residential care and double down on its “consumer-direct approach,” Discovery Behavioral Health CEO John Peloquin told Behavioral Health Business. […]

Wrap-Around Services, New Funding Models Hold Promise for Improving SMI Treatment

The behavioral health industry often falls short when caring for underserved communities with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Despite the infusion of capital that poured into the mental health industry over the last few years, the bulk of that investment has been centered around low-acuity patients with commercial health plans. However, many are […]

SUD Providers Broaden Continuum of Care As Patient Complexity Rises

People with substance use disorders (SUDs) are more likely to have co-occurring disorders, including mental health conditions and physical illnesses.  With that in mind, residential SUD treatment providers are stepping up to offer more comprehensive treatment. Operators are weaving services like psychiatry and eating disorder treatment into residential offerings to provide the necessary breadth of […]

‘Those Opportunities Don’t Come Up Very Often’: Sabra Opts For Steady Behavioral Growth

Sabra Healthcare REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) plans to take an incremental approach to growing its behavioral health portfolio. The Irvine, California-based real estate investment trust (REIT) has invested just over $800 million in the behavioral health space but finds opportunities to grow that business less frequently than its other segments, according to its Q3 earnings call. […]