The health insurance giant Cigna (NYSE:CI) has long expressed interest in remote behavioral health care delivery. It’s first big commitment came back in 2017, when the insurer rolled out its virtual care network, creating a system of thousands of behavioral providers able to deliver care remotely. In the years that followed, Cigna slowly continued to […]
Slowly but surely, insurers appear to be shifting from using process measures to outcome measures when it comes to assessing quality in behavioral health care. Now, it seems the coronavirus could help accelerate that movement, thanks in large part to the momentum the virus has given telehealth. At least, Stephen Friedoff — SVP of clinical […]
California has passed a law to improve residents’ access to behavioral health care coverage. It’s a move that could set the stage for nationwide change. The law in question defines “medical necessity” for mental health and substance use disorder treatment, no longer leaving it up to insurance companies to create their own definitions. California Gov. […]
In the past four years, health plans affiliated with Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) have more than doubled the percentage of members receiving whole-person medication assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Four years ago, the insurer found that only 18% of consumers were receiving both drug therapy and counseling services as part of their MAT […]
Recovery Centers of America (RCA) — a private equity-backed substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider based in the Northeast — has opened its first Midwestern location. The new facility in suburban Chicago started accepting patients Tuesday. The organization plans to expand its presence in the heartland even further later this year. Based in St. Charles, […]
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., private and public payers rushed to cover telehealth, making it easier than ever for patients to receive behavioral health care. As a result, more than 80% of behavioral health organizations used telehealth for the first time amid the COVID-19 emergency, according to a recent survey by the digital […]
Amid the COVID-19 emergency, behavioral health providers are struggling. They’re grappling with increased costs and decreased revenues, while also seeing more demand for their services. As a result, 71% of organizations have had to cancel, reschedule or turn away patients over the past three months, according to a recent survey by the National Council for […]
Spero Health — a privately held substance use disorder treatment (SUD) provider with dozens of locations across five states — has opened a new clinic in Martinsville, Virginia. The facility is the sixth new center Spero Health has announced since the COVID-19 emergency began in mid-March. It’s all part of the provider’s plan to offer […]
Patients with behavioral health conditions in addition to physical ones drive nearly 57% of all health care spending; however, very little of that money goes toward treating behavioral conditions. That’s according to a new report from Milliman commissioned by The Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Use. The study was funded by the Mental […]
The American Psychological Association (APA) is asking states and insurers to temporarily remove roadblocks that make it harder for mental health providers to offer telehealth services. Doing so is especially important in light of COVID-19, the APA says. “This is an extraordinary public health crisis with vast and unpredictable implications for the nation’s mental health,” […]