Over 50 million Americans experienced a mental health illness in 2022, however, less than half sought out treatment.1,2 As research on the prevalence of behavioral health conditions and the population’s willingness to receive this form of care continues to evolve, hospitals are looking for solutions to combat its impact within their local community.
For hospitals to address this growing need, they must first understand the benefits of behavioral health service line integration, the outcomes it can generate for their hospital and why partnership is critical for long-term success.
These benefits include:
- Reduced medical expenditures
The optimization of an existing behavioral health unit and/or addition of a new behavioral health service line has the potential to cut costs.
According to a Milliman Report, effective integration of behavioral healthcare with medical care can create projected annual savings of 9% to 17% when considering Medicare, commercial insurance and Medicaid enrollees.3 - Improved care delivery
Behavioral health program integration with a trusted partner can not only strengthen and expand existing services, but also provide new offerings that are not currently available such as inpatient behavioral health services.
This enables more patients to receive treatment in an optimal care setting, while simultaneously reducing stress on emergency departments. - Enhanced operational efficiency
Having a program specifically dedicated to behavioral health alleviates the administrative burden on other departments that have historically cared for behavioral health patients when bed capacity is limited.
This alleviation, in addition to partnership with an industry expert, allows for an individualized treatment approach that streamlines a patient’s care journey and reduces the risk for readmission.
Once a hospital decides to move forward with behavioral health integration, it will not only benefit patients with existing behavioral health needs but will also open the door to a more assessable form of care that will generate long-term benefits for those experiencing both physical and mental illnesses.
Read our full white paper, “Addressing Behavioral Health Needs Helps Patients, Providers, Payers and Communities” to learn how this service line could benefit your hospital.
References:
- S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2023, March). Mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health. Retrieved April 6, 2023, from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
- Adult data 2022. Mental Health America. (2023). https://mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-adult-data
- Milliman Research Report: Potential Economic Impact of integrated medical-behavioral healthcare, January 2018, https://www.milliman.com/en/insight/potential-economic-impact-of-integrated-medicalbehavioral-healthcare-updated-projections,accessedAugust2020
