800,000 individuals presently sit on waitlists across the nation for Medicaid waiver services. These numbers mounting every year. In response, the Biden-Harris administration is increasing community support through the American Rescue Plan. The funding might be the beginning of a larger shift in the way society views substance abuse and behavioral healthcare moving forward. Eliminating the HCBS waitlists (home- and community-based services) will be a dazzling start. 

The last 18 months have been a roller-coaster ride for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers. The rapid changes in established practices, the inflow of complicated cases, and the looming threat of the pandemic for personnel and vulnerable populations were just a few of the challenges to tackle. In the more stable second half of 2021, there is some time to reflect on the SUD treatment challenges and outline opportunities for improvement.

Due to the pandemic, intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) providers have faced additional quality-of-care difficulties. As a result, providers have less direct in-person access to individuals in the I/DD population, which has complicated the essentials of I/DD client care.

History has shown that when epidemics strike, society responds with perseverance and innovation. The current pandemic is unprecedented, not only in seriousness and scope but also in how the behavioral health industry delivers care. Out from the chaos has emerged the expediency of change to care for clients in need. Care coordination, in particular, rose in importance during the pandemic when many practices had to dive head-first into digital and data-driven transformation to continue services.

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” said Albert Einstein. This is a truth witnessed over and over in the disruption caused by the pandemic. Indeed, amidst the fear and hardships, revelations of sparkling new ideas, technology, data-driven solutions and cross-discipline team cooperation led the behavioral health industry to a sea of change and opportunity. The second half of 2021 is an open door all about preparation and using the slowdown to address long-term problems. Below, consider the 2021 behavioral health challenges, which may have initially felt like slamming doors.

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – a month dedicated to growing public awareness of mental health, including mental illness among communities of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), and the life of Bebe Moore Campbell, an author and advocate who worked to end stigma and promote education of mental health among diverse communities.

Nationwide, 6.5 million individuals—or roughly two percent of the population—have some form of intellectual developmental disability (IDD). These individuals face unique challenges when it comes to getting appropriate care but are often overlooked because they do not necessarily fall into traditional disparity populations based on race, income, or geographical location. 

95% of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are engaged in one or more innovative practices in collaboration with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies (e.g., police, jails, and courts). Read more about how CCBHCs are leading a bold shift in mental health and substance use care in the May 2021 CCBHC Impact Report.

Many providers believe that adopting the latest behavioral health software will help them adapt to the new digital landscape. Yet, the wide-scale changes in the industry during 2020 and 2021 are proving that being connected is more important than just using complicated systems. Behavioral health interoperability drives a data-driven approach. Here are practical use cases to help transform practices into data-driven providers.

Although the coronavirus pandemic has imposed significant changes on the healthcare industry particularly in regards to behavioral and mental healthcare, historically behavioral healthcare parity has not been a priority for payers and, as a result, compliance, network adequacy, and use of value-based payments are all low, according to an Avalere survey.