In this episode, I have the privilege of speaking with Jeremy Musher, M.D., who is the chief behavioral medical officer at Lifepoint Health and a member of the AHA Committee on Behavioral Health. We dive into the topic of how hospitals and health systems can improve the delivery of behavioral health services and ensure they are fully integrated into patient-centered care.
Jeremy highlights several barriers that may hinder individuals from receiving high-quality behavioral health care. These barriers include issues related to access, challenges with reimbursement, and the stigma surrounding seeking treatment for mental health issues. Jeremy suggests solutions such as utilizing telehealth services and enforcing laws at both federal and state levels that mandate mental health parity in insurance coverage. Notably, he points out that insurers generally pay less for behavioral health services compared to other medical services.
Jeremy emphasizes several measures that can be used to gauge success in the delivery of behavioral health care. These include bringing more behavioral health resources to communities where they are lacking, minimizing the use of emergency rooms for boarding behavioral health patients, intervening with patients showing signs of behavioral health issues at an earlier stage, integrating physical and behavioral medicine, and increasing the utilization of telehealth services.
I encourage you to watch this episode to gain more insights from our discussion. Keep an eye out for more conversations like this on a monthly basis as part of the Chair File series.
