recent Report The AMA assesses behavioral health in the U.S., and the outlook appears grim. Living during a global pandemic will only exacerbate the growing number of Americans suffering from anxiety and depression, from one in 10 adults in 2019 to nearly four in 10 in early 2021, the report said. Additionally, suicide jumped to the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. Better aligning behavior with physical health appears to be the logical solution, the report said. However, with a shortage of providers across the country, providing this care is easier said than done.
Digital tools can address behavioral health integration, but are not designed to replace in-person care, the report said. Ideally, these digital tools will complement it. For example, digital tools can aid in patient screening and intake and clinical decision support. In addition, telehealth services can complement traditional care models. However, inequalities in the use of digital tools—such as insufficient internet bandwidth to sustain telemedicine video calls—raise a new set of issues that need to be addressed.
Efforts are being made to address mental health issues, in some cases, in conjunction with primary care. One of them is actually providing this kind of care. Boston-based Amwell has a digital platform that delivers behavioral healthcare online. Amwell’s digital platform offers on-demand mental and well-being wellness programs and optional human coaching, Lindsay Henderson, Amwell’s director of psychological services, explained in an email. Henderson weighed in on the findings of the AMA report.
MedCity News: What are your thoughts on the AMA report? What do you think is the most important discovery?
Lindsay Henderson: Given the sharp rise in mental health and National shortage of behavioral health experts. Digital options for behavioral health—from telemedicine to chatbots to digital therapy—have enormous potential to improve the quality of care and health outcomes. The ideas presented in the AMA report provide a solid starting point for engaging multiple stakeholders in this effort. Now, we need to go a step further and find ways to be truly innovative.
MedCity News: Can you give an example?
Henderson: To have a significant impact, payers, providers, employers, and governments must work together to design a value-based approach to behavioral healthcare. This model should emphasize the need to improve the availability of mental health services—especially in areas that lack behavioral health providers. It should also address the social determinants of health that contribute to poor access to mental health care.
MedCity News: What does the report mean?
Henderson: The report sets the stage for collaboration to develop digital behavioral health services at scale. It can also serve as a conversation starter in communities where the need for an alternative in-person approach to behavioral health services is critical.
MedCity News: What should future research address and explore?
Henderson: I’d like to see more input from vendors on their biggest barriers to digital behavioral health. I was a guest lecturer at a local graduate school, and I was struck by the number of students I met who were graduating from doctoral programs and who were exhausted. These students are exhausted before they enter the behavioral health field, which worries me. Capturing their perspective is critical to developing a digital health strategy that resonates with behavioral health professionals and their patients.
MedCity News: Are there limitations to this study?
Henderson: If the strategies shared in the report will encourage the use of digital health as part of a value-based care delivery model, they will be even stronger. Ultimately, value-based reimbursement that emphasizes comprehensive behavioral care treatment and access—including digital tools for behavioral health services—will be key to further adoption of these tools.
MedCity News: What advice do you have for delivering behavioral health care virtually?
Henderson: Going beyond point-of-care solutions for behavioral health ensures the experience is integrated with other therapeutic areas for holistic care. Mental and behavioral health are core components of overall health.
MedCity News: What are your best practices for delivering virtual behavioral healthcare at Amwell?
Henderson: One of the best practices for delivering behavioral health services virtually is to meet with patients. This means delivering digital behavioral wellness in a format that users prefer, at a time that best meets their needs. It also requires investment in digital tools that prove to be as effective as face-to-face therapy.
Photo: Alisa Zahoruiko, Getty Images
