Fed Rate Cuts Contribute to Increasingly Sunny Outlook for Behavioral Health

Behavioral health has had a series of small but laudable wins in the last few weeks. The Biden administration finalized new parity rules. Drug overdose deaths are on the decline. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates. And Fed observers are predicting additional rate cuts, too. Be still my nerdy behavioral health industry-observer heart: That’s quite […]

LifeStance Poised for M&A Comeback After Efficiency Overhaul

After a year and a half of scale-backs and tempered growth, LifeStance Health (Nasdaq: LFST) is planning a return to M&A. The target for that comeback: 2026. LifeStance is still completing processes designed to improve efficiency, David Bourdon, the company’s chief financial officer, said at the 22nd Annual Morgan Stanley Healthcare Conference on Wednesday. Along […]

Behavioral Providers Turn to Long-acting Injectables to Boost Adherence, Decrease Burden

Medication adherence is a critical issue for behavioral health providers. This is especially true for patients with serious mental illness. More than half of patients with schizophrenia are nonadherent to medication, and 50% of patients with depression and 44% of patients with bipolar disorder are nonadherent to medication, according to a meta-analysis. In order to […]

How Behavioral Health Leaders Acadia, LifeStance Are Modernizing Their Digital Practices

The behavioral health industry’s use of technology has lagged behind other segments of the health care sector. Two of the industry’s biggest providers want to change that track record. LifeStance Health Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LFST) and Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) are taking different approaches to developing their digital strategies. However, both are exploring AI and […]

How LifeStance Is Prepping for Potential Telehealth Regulation Changes, Installing Collaborative Care Models

Collaborative care has gained significant traction in the behavioral health industry since its inception in the early 2000s. The care model, which integrates physical and behavioral health care services, is set to become the gold standard, according to Dr. Ujjwal Ramtekkar, chief medical officer of LifeStance Health. LifeStance is increasingly implementing collaborative care across its […]

The Next Chapter for Mental Health Coverage and Business Models

All was relatively quiet on the behavioral health front for publicly traded companies in Q1, reflecting the typically sleepy nature of the first quarter for those seeking to wrap up old initiatives and start new ones. Don’t get me wrong: It’s not like nothing happened or there isn’t anything worth pondering. Quite the opposite, in […]

LifeStance COO Departs, Company Optimistic About Federal Noncompete Ban 

LifeStance Health Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LFST) faces the challenge of finding a successor for a departing top executive. Danish Qureshi, president and chief operating officer of LifeStance, announced his resignation on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “For me, now is the right time to step away and take on my next challenge,” Qureshi said on […]

Is an IPO Worth It? What Good Exits in Behavioral Health Will Look Like in 2024.

Behavioral health dealmaking will likely pick up in 2024 but initial public offerings (IPOs) may be noticeably absent. The private market — especially private equity investors and their platforms — has more than enough capital and motivation to do deals, making this year a compelling time for exits and trades. Still, experts tell Behavioral Health […]

Lifestance Closes 82 Clinics, Says No Plans for Near-Term Deals

Lifestance Health Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LFST) will focus inward during 2024 to push toward profitability. The Scottsdale, Arizona-based outpatient mental health provider will continue to abstain from M&A activity, open fewer de novo clinics and juggle several business optimization efforts, executives said Wednesday on its year-end earnings call. “We have steadied the ship, but we […]

LifeStance Installs New CMO; Pelago Names Chief Scientific Officer

LifeStance Health names Quartet, Teladoc veteran as CMO LifeStance Health (NASDAQ: LFST) appointed Ujjwal Ramtekkar as chief medical officer. Ramtekkar is charged with maintaining high-quality, personalized care. “Dr. Ramtekkar is an experienced physician executive with a demonstrated track record of driving exceptional patient and clinical outcomes,” Ken Burdick, chairman and CEO of LifeStance, said in […]