A number of licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) across the country are facing a mass clawback effort launched by UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) services division, Optum. The company’s Medicare Advantage plans overpaid the LCSWs “due to an error within a claims payment system,” a representative of Optum Behavioral Health told Behavioral Health Business. Optum Recovery […]
Headspace is broadening its reach by offering its mental health coaching services, previously exclusive to its business-to-business segment, directly to individual consumers. Several digital health companies started in the direct-to-consumer space and have since focused their efforts on their B2B business. Now, Headspace is expanding in the opposite direction, taking its B2B coaching product and […]
Despite federal parity laws, new research shows that behavioral health clinicians are reimbursed at rates 22% lower than medical and surgical clinicians. A new study from nonprofit research institute RTI International may provide behavioral health operators with the evidence to meet with payers to boost reimbursement rates and increase patients’ access to behavioral health services. […]
Elevance Health Inc. (NYSE: ELV) is placing a “large focus” on its behavioral health business, inking two massive state contracts worth up to $740 million in Q1 of 2024. Carelon, Elevance’s health care services arm, is off to a “strong start” this year, buoyed by major behavioral health contracts with the states of Maryland and […]
Lawmakers have introduced a new bill to Congress that would enable children with Medicaid to access physical and behavioral health care appointments on the same day. Dubbed the Improving CARE for Youth Act, the bill aims to improve access to behavioral health services for pediatric patients. Congressman Dr. Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Congresswoman Angie Craig […]
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is keeping details about its behavioral health strategy close to the chest. The health care and insurance company highlighted that its behavioral health business was thriving just a few quarters ago in its Q2 2023 earnings call. Now, despite recently expanding its behavioral health segment, the company is highlighting other aspects […]
A federal appeals court revived a lawsuit alleging UnitedHealthcare violated federal behavioral health parity and insurance fiduciary laws. On April 11, the appeals court remanded parity and fiduciary claims to a California district court. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the lower court erred in dismissing those claims but affirmed a separate question […]
New government findings add details to the lack of availability of behavioral health services for America’s poor and elderly. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department found that about one-third of behavioral health providers in selected counties serve patients in the Medicare, Medicare Advantage, or Medicaid programs. “Despite […]
The financial stability of private therapy practices is increasingly precarious, with the majority of therapists reporting anxiety over the current economic climate. Almost 85% of private practice therapists are concerned about the economy impacting their practice in 2024, according to a survey conducted by mental health-focused accounting startup Heard. Despite these concerns, most therapists said […]
Payers and providers are increasingly pushing for more measurement-based care in behavioral health. However, in order for the change to work, key stakeholders, including clinicians and other behavioral health providers, need to buy in. This puts the onus on operators to make it easier for clinicians to implement measurement-based care, and for payers to foster […]
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