CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announced this week a partnership with Headway, a tech company that aims to simplify the process of getting mental health care.
Through a partnership, the New York City-based progress is offering its software platform to mental health providers caring first‘s network serves people in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia, said Brian Wheeler, VP of Supplier Collaboration and Network Transformation at CareFirst.
CareFirst currently has thousands of independent mental health practitioners that members have access to. Founded in 2019, Headway has also partnered with Aetna, Cigna and UnitedHealthcare, and these practitioners have the opportunity to join the company’s software platform for free. Through the platform, members can search for the care they need, and Headway will showcase all providers in the CareFirst network who join the platform and meet member preferences.
Large behavioral health practices often have websites, online schedules, receptionists, and other features that simplify access to care. Soloists weren’t always like that, Wheeler said.
“This is a challenge for our independent practitioners as they are trying to run their business as independent practitioners and support their clients and patients, but they don’t have the infrastructure, which is very difficult for our members. Difficult,” Wheeler said. “Because if they were to try to reach one of the social workers or psychologists, they would probably have to make a dozen calls and leave a voicemail to make an appointment that meets their needs.”
Members of CareFirst can access Headway through the health plan’s provider directory. They can then visit Headway’s website from a computer or phone and find a provider that’s right for them. Members can choose certain preferences—including race, language, geography, in-person/virtual—and Headway’s platform will provide them with a list of options within the CareFirst network. If members find a practitioner they are interested in, they can book directly from Headway’s platform. By adding insurance details, members can see the cost of care up front and get billed through the software after the session.
Under the partnership, CareFirst pays the Headway fee for its services. Chief executive Andrew Adams said Headway entered into value-based contracts with its payers, meaning it was paid based on performance.caring first Wheeler said willingness to cover the cost so its independent practitioners can expand their care.
Wheeler said CareFirst began looking for a partner in the fall of 2021 to help independent behavioral health providers with technology, eventually choosing Headway because it offered the easiest technology to use. He declined to share assessments of other companies, CareFirst.Other mental health startups include Ginger and Modern Health, but most contract directly with employers to offer digital therapy services as a benefit, while Headway focuses on managing the process, and MedCity previously report.
“Headway has the most user-friendly technology suite,” Wheeler said. “We want to create a win-win for our supplier partners and our members, and Headway brings it all together in the most innovative way possible.”
Within a year, Wheeler said, it hopes to have hundreds to 1,000 practitioners registered on Headway’s platform. It also hopes to add practitioners to its network by partnering with Headway.
“There are a lot of independent practitioners in the behavioral health space who don’t participate in insurance companies just because of administrative work … Maybe we can get some people who are not part of the insurance network into the network through Headway because that’s easier,” Wheeler said.
In addition to growing its network, the ultimate goal of CareFirst’s partnership with Headway is to make behavioral health care more accessible to its members and improve health outcomes, Wheeler said.
“If we can do that and actually increase the number of independent practitioners working under the Headway umbrella over the next 12 months, it will be a huge success.”
Photo: Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images
