Beneficiaries File Appeal Against UnitedHealth Victory in Mental Healthcare Coverage Case
A group of UnitedHealth members are filing an appeal to a recent court case against the company regarding its mental healthcare coverage practices. The class-action lawsuit alleged that United was basing its coverage decisions on patient claims based on the whims of the finance department, ignoring medical needs. The patient group had orgininally won their case in 2019 and 2020, but these wins were undone by court reversal last year.
Spring Health Launches Compass Platform for Mental Health Electronic Health Records Management
Mental healthcare professionals waste significant amounts of time creating and sorting through electronic health records (EHR). To help providers focus on patient care, Spring Health has released its Compass platform. Using the software platform, providers and other users have access to an integrated documentation, billing, and scheduling system.
Using Patient-Centered Digital Health Solutions to Improve Mental Health Outcomes
In recent years, digital health solutions have been developed for a variety of chronic conditions, but have yet to meet their promise. This “translation gap” represents a target for improving the state of digital health and bettering the health outcomes of patients. Mental healthcare, in particular, could benefit from digital health solutions.
Connecting Mental Healthcare with Primary Care to Improve Health Outcomes
Millions of people in the US who would benefit from mental healthcare are unable to do so due to a litany of barriers to access. Integrating primary care and mental healthcare could help lower barriers and get care to more patients. However, it will take a multipronged strategy from all stakeholders to reach this goal.
Improve Access to Mental Healthcare by Paying Trainees
Access to mental healthcare in the US has been a growing issue for decades, only made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the slow trickle of trainees is far from sufficient to bridge this gap. Instead, at the current rate, there will be 14,000 less psychiatrists practicing in 2030. In a new Health Affairs article, authors discuss how paying trainees for the care they deliver could support efforts to reverse this troubling trend.
A Health Podyssey Podcast: Jane Zhu Gets Spooky About Phantom Providers
Mental healthcare is hard for many patients to access, especially those on Medicaid. In the newest episode of A Health [...]
Mental Health, Sleep, and Vaccination as Barriers to Care
Employers can play a huge role in reducing barriers to care for mental healthcare, according to speakers at a panel [...]
Health Affairs Pathways Podcast: While We Wait – The emPATH Way Forward
Series 2 of the Health Affairs Pathways podcast, entitled While We Wait, covers the issues surrounding the boarding crisis facing [...]
Health Affair Pathways Podcast: De-escalation in Crisis Responses
Law enforcement responds to mental health crises across the US. Unfortunately, many people with mental illness are injured or killed [...]
Health Affairs Pathways Podcast: Certified Behavioral Health Clinics and Mental Health Policy
The shortage of beds in mental health facilities and long waitlists for care have compounded the mental health crisis that [...]
OM1 Launches Real-World Data Network for Neuroscience and Mental Health
Despite growing understanding of the brain and psychology, treatments for mental health and neurological conditions are lagging. To help rectify [...]
Health Affairs Pathways Podcast: The History of Mental Health Policy
The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 promised to shift in-patient mental healthcare from state-run institutions to local care centers [...]
Health Affairs Pathways Podcast: ED Clinicians and Emergency Psychiatric Care
Amidst the ballooning mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department clinicians face an uphill [...]
The Potential of Real World Evidence for Mental Health
Although startlingly common and accounting for a sizeable annual healthcare cost, effective treatments for mental health conditions are often out [...]
New Podcast: Health Affairs Pathways
Health Affairs has launched their new Health Affairs Pathways podcast. The podcast explores the ins and outs of the healthcare [...]
