Senate Finance Committee Releases Excoriating Investigation of Abuse in At-Risk Youth Industry

After years of facing criticism for wrongdoing and mistreatment of patients, the at-risk youth industry was blasted in a report released on Wednesday by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. The report and communications from the committee chairman, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), conclude that systemic harm and abuse are “routine” parts of the at-risk youth industry. […]

UHS Sells 80-Bed Psychiatric Facility to Texas-Based Operator

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) plans to sell River Crest Hospital, a San Angelo, Texas-based facility, to Shannon Health System, a healthcare provider based in the same city. The parties did not disclose the terms of the deal. The move expands the nonprofit Shannon Health System’s behavioral health division. Presently, Shannon operates a 22-bed inpatient […]

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 […]

UHS Ordered to Pay $535M in Legal Case

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) intends to challenge a recent verdict that would require the company to pay $535 million in damages related to a sexual assault suit.  Pavilion Behavioral Health System, a subsidiary of UHS, denied any liability in a case that alleged that an underage patient was sexually assaulted by another underage patient […]

Medicaid Redeterminations Sunk UHS’ Child, Teen Behavioral Offerings in 2023

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) saw its behavioral health services for children and teens take a downward turn in the latter half of 2023.  The company attributes its child and adolescent business declines to Medicaid redeterminations. Despite softness in residential and adolescent segments, UHS experienced “robust” demand for its behavioral health services in Q4 of […]

Mental Health Executive Forecast: New Business Models, AI and Value-Based Care to Define Industry in 2024

The mental health industry is pivoting after the market’s rapid expansion related to COVID-era telehealth and increased demand for behavioral health services. Mental health providers are now seeking new methods of care, including AI-enabled tools, to improve existing mental health treatment frameworks, industry insiders told Behavioral Health Business. Mental health companies are also seeking new […]

Increasing Occupancy is ‘Significant’ Opportunity for UHS’ Behavioral Health Business

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) is setting its sights on increasing behavioral health bed occupancy after seeing improvement in its recruitment and retention metrics. UHS identified increasing occupancy as its next target for growth in its Q3 earnings call, utilizing a strategy of recruitment retention and expanding service lines to achieve this goal. “Broadly increasing […]

By Expanding into MAT, UHS Hopes to Add an Arrow to Its Addiction Treatment Quiver

Now that behavioral health staffing has stabilized, Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) is focusing on its expansion efforts. And in the not-too-distant future, those efforts could include more medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services for addiction care. UHS has offered substance use disorder (SUD) treatment for years. But Steve Filton, the company’s CFO and executive vice president, […]

UHS Behavioral Health Segment Sees Increased Patient Volumes, Lengths of Stay

Universal Health Services Inc.’s (NYSE: UHS) behavioral health segment grew in the second quarter, as patient volumes and lengths of stay improved at its acute behavioral health facilities.  However, UHS management deemed the company’s Q2 2023 earnings results for the segment a bit of a slowdown compared to recent performance.  Still, UHS is bullish on […]

Universal Health Services Taps Oracle to Expand EHR System Across Behavioral Health Network

Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) has tapped Oracle to expand its electronic health record (EHR) system across its behavioral health network. While the provider has used Oracle’s EHR in its acute care hospitals for a decade, expanding the technology into its behavioral health facilities will give it a unified system across the entire organization. UHS […]