Concerns Over Federal Methadone Legislation Overblown

Concerns that changing methadone prescription laws will materially impact behavioral health providers are overblown, according to an analyst note from ​​Jefferies Financial Group. The relaxed buprenorphine laws have not substantially increased prescriptions. Therefore, on the business side, the softened methadone prescription regulations would not cause providers such as Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) to lose a […]

Acadia Executes 3 New Acquisitions, Fueling 2024 Growth Strategy

Behavioral health operator Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) is executing its strategic M&A plan for 2024 with the announcement of three new acquisitions.  Franklin, Tennessee-based Acadia acquired three comprehensive treatment centers (CTCs) in North Carolina, bringing its number of CTC locations in the state to 10. The treatment centers combine behavioral therapy and medications for opioid […]

3 Trends Shaping the Behavioral Health Workforce

Staffing challenges plagued the behavioral health workforce in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the employment environment might be improving for operators. In 2023, 53% of behavioral health insiders said that staff was the biggest challenge in the industry, which dropped to 42% in 2024, according to a Behavioral Health Business survey. Several tailwinds […]

Acadia Healthcare CEO: ‘M&A Will Be a Focus for Us in 2024 and Beyond’

M&A is a critical strategic priority for Acadia Healthcare’s (Nasdaq: ACHC) CEO Chris Hunter. M&A has always been part of the relatively new CEO’s plan to double the revenue of the Franklin, Tennessee-based behavioral health giant. However, he and other executives previously made it clear that adding new beds via de novo facility expansion, joint […]

Payer Demands for Access Set the Bar for Value-Based Care ‘Really Low’

Despite years of discourse surrounding value-based care and behavioral health, payers remain fixated on access as the primary concern. Meanwhile, outcomes data and measurement-based care, which have dominated the value-based conversation over the past few years, will likely be important to contracting in a few years. “By bringing access [to members], you bring value,” Dr. […]

Acadia Targets Physical Care, Behavioral Health Integration as Opportunity for Growth 

Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) is focused on value-based care as it invests in technology and expands its service lines. Franklin, Tennessee-based mental health operator Acadia has identified opportunities for growth in its outpatient, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and step-down services, according to a presentation at the Raymond James Annual Institutional Investors Conference. It also […]

Acadia Healthcare Diversifies With More Step-Down Options

While Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) is best known for its inpatient behavioral health facilities, the company is looking to diversify with more step-down services. Specifically, the organization is boosting its intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) and partial hospitalization programs (PHPs). These services are often used as a step-down from traditional inpatient care and a step-up from […]

Acadia Begins Construction on Florida JV; Ideal Option Opens New MAT Clinic

Ideal Option opens new MAT clinic  Outpatient addiction treatment provider Ideal Option opened a new clinic in Great Falls, Montanna. The new clinic will provide buprenorphine-based medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) to individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). The American Rescue Plan Act partly funded the new clinic. “The grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act allows […]

$147M Psych Hospital To Break Ground in Oklahoma; Texas Funds $50M, 100-Bed Facility

Oklahoma state government breaks ground on 330-bed, $147M project Construction on the Donahue Behavioral Health Campus in Oklahoma City will begin on March 28. The project brings 330 beds to the city with a price tag of $147 million. The hospital will encompass 275 adult beds and 55 pediatric beds. It replaces Griffin Memorial Hospital […]

Acadia CEO: EHR Investment Crucial to Enabling Value-Based Care Contracts

Acadia (NASDAQ: ACHC) is prioritizing strategic investment in its technology capabilities and comprehensive treatment centers (CTCs) for opioid use disorder. At the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Acadia CEO Christopher Hunter said these priorities would “drive the business forward” over the next year. As the largest pure-play behavioral health provider, Acadia sets the tone for the […]