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 […]
Category: Commercial
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 […]
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 […]
Inaccurate provider directories, known as “ghost networks,” can land patients with shocking bills and cause providers to miss out on potential patients. Ghost networks have increasingly come under fire by policymakers aiming to hold health plans accountable and protect patients. A new bill, introduced last week by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) and Ron Wyden […]
2024 could prove pivotal for virtual behavioral health as the federal government considers making COVID-era telehealth flexibilities permanent. Federal and state regulations can heavily influence the availability of behavioral telehealth appointments. For behavioral health providers who provide care to Medicaid beneficiaries, or who prescribe controlled substances for conditions like substance use disorders (SUDs), regulations can […]
Last week Cigna’s (NYSE:CI) health service division Evernorth furthered its reach into the mental health sector with the launch of a new behavioral health group. The hybrid behavioral health group, launched with over 1,000 clinicians, will focus on value-based and measurement-based care. Using virtual provider Octave’s technology suite, Evernorth plans to fully scale the service […]
Cigna’s (NYSE:CI) health service division Evernorth has launched a new behavioral health care group. Evernorth Behavioral Health Group will launch with over 1,000 clinicians and guarantee patients an appointment within 72 hours. According to Evernorth data, the industry average wait time is 48 days. “When I think about the impetus of the care group, it’s […]
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 U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request by United Behavioral Health to hear a behavioral health claim denial case. The case, titled D.K. […]
Employer mental health companies have flooded the behavioral health startup market. This comes as employees now say behavioral health benefit programs are crucial for establishing positive workplace environments. Conflicting research, however, makes it unclear how effective these plans are in practice. Further, with the market for employer mental health plans becoming increasingly saturated, only the […]
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