Eating Disorder Outlook 2025: M&A On the Rise, GLP-1s Impact Treatment 

The eating disorder treatment sector has transformed dramatically in the past few years, with 2025 poised to bring further disruption through virtual care expansion, market consolidation and evolving patient needs. This evolution is occurring on the heels of a string of notable eating disorder treatment facility closures in 2023 and 2024.  Despite the shuttering of […]

ABA Providers Improperly Billed Medicaid for $56M, Audit Reveals

State Medicaid programs are federally required to cover applied behavior analysis (ABA) services for children with autism. In 2020, the state of Indiana’s fee-for-service Medicaid payments totaled $101.8 million, the second highest in the U.S. An audit completed by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the United States Department of Health and Human Services […]

Insurance Barriers, Provider Scarcity Limits Patient Access to Psychologists

The shortage of psychologists accepting insurance, combined with full caseloads and high demand, has made mental health care increasingly difficult to access. According to a new report by the American Psychological Association, roughly a third of psychologists do not accept insurance. Among those who accept insurance, private and commercial pay health plans were the most […]

Multiple Sexual Assault Cases Reported at Acadia Healthcare Facility, Company Denies Systemic Issues

More allegations about Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) have surfaced in the press, this time reporting sexual assault at one of the company’s behavioral health hospitals. A male patient at Acadia-owned Options Behavioral Health Hospital raped another patient with severe mental illness, according to reporting by Mirror Indy. A nurse had reported to higher-ups that the […]

Addiction Treatment in 2024: Navigating Privacy Challenges, Telehealth Shifts, Reimbursement Reforms

The landscape of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment in 2024 was a tapestry of challenges, technological disruptions and unexpected breakthroughs. A staggering data leak exposed the personal information of 100 million patients. Economic pressures forced some SUD providers to retreat from certain state markets, and long-anticipated regulatory changes were once again delayed, leaving the industry […]

Autism Therapy Provider Proven Behavior Solutions Acquires Prism Autism, Expands into Second State

Autism therapy provider Proven Behavior Solutions has acquired Prism Autism Education & Consultation, expanding its footprint into a second state. The acquisition brings Proven’s total facility count to seven. “We are excited to welcome Prism into the Proven family,” Scott Snider, Proven CEO, said in a statement. “This partnership strengthens our ability to offer even […]

JoyBridge Kids ‘Homegrowing’ BCBAs Gives it the Advantage as it Scales

JoyBridge Kids has its eyes on the autism industry’s Holy Grail: a harmonious marriage of clinical services and operations. Mount Juliet, Tennessee-based multidisciplinary autism therapy company’s founders started a company intending to “offer the highest quality care, first and foremost,” JoyBridge Kids CEO and President Mike Cairnes told Behavioral Health Business. The company was founded […]

Why Only 44% of Chronic Pain Patients Get Adequate Mental Health Support

More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Behavioral health conditions, including mental health and substance use disorders (SUD), are highly prevalent among those with chronic pain. In fact, 56% of U.S. adults with chronic pain have clinically significant anxiety or depression symptoms. And yet, a “staggering” share of this group does not receive […]