Blog.

As we get settled in the new year – and administration – we had the privilege of sitting down with Debbie to discuss her journey, vision, and the future of the behavioral health industry.

The Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW), in collaboration with The Healthcare Innovation Company (thINc), hosted their annual Advancing Behavioral Health and Policy Summit from October 28-29, 2024 at the iconic Watergate Hotel. The forward-thinking program brought together leaders from health plans, health systems, employers, government and public agencies, and state, local community, and advocacy organizations to discuss major initiatives and the driving forces to advance behavioral health.

If Congress doesn’t act in the next few months and allows the in-person visit requirement to go into effect, seniors will have to find a provider to visit in-person before they can receive audio/visual care.

Despite improvement in both clinical and cost outcomes, provider hesitancy/trust and a lack of patient satisfaction and access improvement have impeded VBP and APM adoption. However, the health care industry as a whole is shifting away from fee-for-service payments toward VBP models.

If finalized, the Tri-Departments’ proposed rule will significantly impact patient access to virtual behavioral health providers, particularly through new start-up companies with providers trained to treat eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and SUD.

As the nation continues to grapple with an escalating demand for mental health and substance use disorder care, the conversation surrounding behavioral health has shifted and evolved.

The new rules propose sweeping changes to current operations, suggesting that parity is viewed as a magic bullet that will solve all the challenges of modern-day behavioral health care. However, no matter how far health plans bend to comply with parity, we will still be left with behavioral health care issues.

With more great minds, funding, and innovation than ever before, the digital health space is poised to put forth digital solutions that are scalable and clinically effective, and that transform mental healthcare as we know it.

While rising vaccination rates across the country have fostered optimism that we are inching closer to winning the fight against COVID-19, the pandemic’s effect on our nation’s collective mental health and well-being may shape demand for behavioral health services for years to come.

Now more than ever, the U.S. government is looking to expand and improve access to telebehavioral health services.

In the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, three of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history, the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) member companies and their employees reached out beyond themselves and answered the call of communities in need.

ABHW and its member companies use their behavioral health expertise to improve health care outcomes for individuals and families across the health care continuum. Our vision, stated below, is to advance a health care system that embodies the six aims of the Institute of Medicine’s Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions.