Blue Cross NC, Headway team on mental health for children and the underserved
The focus is on improving access to care for underserved communities, including rural and socially vulnerable counties, children and adolescents.
Photo: Marko Geber/Getty Images
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is joining forces with Headway, a mental health company that works with insurers to deliver behavioral healthcare, to address what it sees as a serious problem: A shortage of mental health professionals in the state.
BCBS said the partnership will make it easier for Blue Cross NC members to quickly access in-network therapists and psychiatrists. In some cases, the wait would be no more than 48 hours.
The focus of the collaboration is on improving access to care for underserved communities, including rural and socially vulnerable counties, children and adolescents, and people across diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The two companies began working to expand in-network providers in May.
Blue Cross NC cited data from Mental Health America and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that shows that North Carolina ranks 38th in access to mental healthcare and that 61 of the state's 100 counties have no psychiatrists treating children and adolescents.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
Children and adolescents will be one of the primary areas of focus for the collaboration. Headway will help Blue Cross NC recruit and enable child and adolescent specialists to further meet needs across the state, the companies said.
The partnership will also home in on socially vulnerable communities, including those in rural counties across North Carolina. The two companies said they will identify, credential and support clinicians who practice in rural regions of the state.
They will also recruit providers across race, ethnicity, language and gender to meet the needs of those with culturally diverse backgrounds.
Under the collaboration, Blue Cross NC and Headway have entered a value-based arrangement. In May, Headway began recruiting and credentialing mental health providers, of whom more than 40% are non-white. The majority of clinicians who have signed up with Headway were not actively accepting new in-network insurance patients before the agreement, the companies said.
Since the start of the collaboration, on average, Blue Cross NC members have attended their first appointment within 5.4 days. Headway's service includes one-click booking of appointments for as soon as 48 hours, as well as price transparency on the copay.
Providers available via Headway may not participate in all Blue Cross NC networks. Mental health providers are not required to use Headway to be in-network for Blue Cross NC. Members can enter their insurance information to confirm if the provider they've selected is in their network.
THE LARGER TREND
The collaboration comes as Blue Cross NC is investing more than $2 million to support 11 community organizations working to improve access to behavioral health services. The initiative is aimed at enhancing access in rural and marginalized communities and in regions of the state designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
