[Updated] Who Does the Accrediting? New Autism Therapy Regulation Highlights Big Question for the Industry

Last month, Massachusetts became the first state to require applied behavioral analysis (ABA) providers to become accredited. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services adopted the new rule in October after the Massachusetts attorney general and inspector general questioned the level of quality control at ABA clinics in the past year. Providers who […]

Autism Accreditation Org BHCOE Rebrands to Jade Health

The applied behavioral analysis (ABA) accreditation body the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (BHCOE) announced a rebrand to Jade Health. The company cited the move as an intention to match its values with its branding. It will continue to use the name BHCOE Accreditation for its accreditation services but will use the name Jade Health […]

BHCOE Appoints New CEO; Former Optum Behavioral Health CEO Joins .406 Ventures

The Behavioral Health Center of Excellence’s founder passes CEO torch The Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence (BHCOE), an autism treatment accreditation body, named Anya Perea, the company’s president, its new CEO. Perea, who was educated and previously worked as a social worker, served as vice president of integrations at Refresh Mental Health before joining BHCOE. […]

Having Multiple Care Modalities Pays Off for Autism Treatment Providers

The rate of autism diagnoses has skyrocketed in the last decade, shooting from 1 in 68 to 1 in 36, according to the CDC. Applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy has become one of the most notable behavioral approaches to autism treatment, but there’s no one-size-fits-all modality.  Clinicians providing ABA therapy meet children with autism where […]

Future Leader: Sara Litvak, CEO, Behavioral Health Center of Excellence

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of behavioral health, senior housing, skilled nursing, home health, and hospice care. To see this year’s Future Leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/. Sara Litvak, CEO of Behavioral Health Center […]

‘It’s a Copout’: Why Payers Shouldn’t Say Value-Based Care in Autism Therapy Is Impossible

Value-based care in autism therapy doesn’t exist in a meaningful way. Several industry challenges create an urgent need for innovation in payment models. Stagnant fee-for-service rates and workforce pressures are at the forefront of those issues. Common value-based care challenges, like tracking and quantifying value, have also stymied many conversations. Yet, this type of innovation […]

Long-Stagnant Fee-for-Service Rates in Autism Therapy Stunting Industry’s Potential

Long-stagnant fee-for-service rates in the autism therapy space could stunt its potential as an industry and lock out innovation.  With key exceptions, autism therapy providers across the board have seen payer rates trending flat for years with some payers attempting to push rates down, according to more than a dozen provider, investment, legal and accreditation […]

Autism Therapy Providers Tie Upskilling to Beating Turnover, Serving More Families

Staffing challenges in autism therapy are driving providers to invest heavily in training and upskilling registered behavioral technicians (RBTs). In recent years, inflation and a red-hot job market made hiring and retaining staff harder, especially for RBTs Further, investors have tied staff retention to the company’s value as an investment and as a provider of […]

All-in-One Autism Provider Cortica Strikes VBC Deal with Insurer Point32Health

Autism treatment provider Cortica Inc. has entered into a new value-based care payer arrangement that may accelerate the development of similar deals in the future. Insurer Point32Health now has an outcome-focused value-based care agreement with San Diego-based Cortica for members enrolled in Point32Health Massachusetts’ Medicaid and commercial health plans. “It’s these kinds of groundbreaking collaborations […]

New Collaboration Between Evernorth and BHCOE Seeks to Standardize, Improve Autism Treatment Outcomes

Two leading organizations in behavioral health are teaming up to bring better quality and metrics to the autism treatment space. Evernorth and the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence will develop quality performance measures to assess the care of people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The two organizations said that organizations that care for people […]