A company dedicated to providing health and wellness solutions, possibly offering services such as telemedicine, health content, or wellness programs.

Author Health

Author Health is the first platform to provide comprehensive care and treatment for Medicare Advantage recipients with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD). 

Author Health offers a team-based approach to care, bringing together specialized physicians, nurses, therapists, and community health workers to deliver a mix of virtual and in-person care for individuals who are often disconnected from the traditional healthcare system. 

This approach overcomes workforce shortages in behavioral health fields and geographic barriers to care, and blends excellent medical treatment with the foundation of behavior change: relationships. 

Through this model, patients and their caregivers are given an avenue to reconnect with healthcare providers and receive personalized and comprehensive treatment outside of institutions and in their communities. 

Led by some of the nation’s foremost leaders in healthcare administration, behavioral health, and integrated care, the company launched from stealth in 2023 with $115 million in financing led by General Atlantic with participation from Flare Capital Partners. 

Author Health is currently serving patients in Florida and Texas, with nationwide coverage coming soon. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 20% of people over the age of 55 have experienced a behavioral health issue.

With the growing senior population and rising mental health and substance use issues among this demographic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are looking for new approaches to address behavioral health concerns.

“Mental health and substance use disorder in elderly and disabled populations is well understood and is also a growing need, while at the same time, we continue to have workforce shortages,” Dr. Katherine Hobbs, MD MPH, Author Health CEO, said during Behavioral Health Business’ VALUE event. “So opening up access to different types of providers and different types of services is critically important for us to be able to meet the future need.”

#behavioralhealth #mentalhealth #valuebasedcare #medicare

https://lnkd.in/guBD72tY 

I’m grateful for the recent opportunity to attend and speak at the VALUE conference hosted by Behavioral Health Business. 

I’d like to share 3 key themes we discussed on how to address gaps within Medicare related to behavioral health.

1. To provide high quality treatment, we need to continue opening access 
The Medicare-eligible population is growing in the U.S., and we have a greater understanding of their needs related to dementia, mental health and substance use disorders. At the same time, we have longstanding and ongoing severe workforce shortages of psychiatrists and other behavioral health professionals. Opening up access to different types of providers, levels of care, technology and services is critically important for us to be able to meet this need.  

2. Chronic, co-occurring conditions remain a major challenge
What we know from research, and what we're finding in our own data at Author Health, is that among Medicare recipients with dementia and behavioral health disorders, the main driver of poor health and high cost is their chronic, co-occurring physical health conditions. We’re doing a lot of work at Author to identify what those physical health conditions are, screen for rising risk, and then work very closely with primary care providers and within our own care management to get ahead of those needs. 

3. The infrastructure to deliver a value-based payment model within Medicare already exists 
Within Medicare, over the past several decades, there have been major advances and innovations in value-based reimbursement and care delivery for physical health. There also are validated measures for quality in behavioral health. The infrastructure for value based payment in Medicare already exists, and we need to apply these learnings to behavioral health.

There are approximately 30 million Medicare Advantage enrollees in the U.S., which is about half of the total Medicare eligible population and includes Special Needs Plans for people living with disabilities and other needs.

If we can effectively deliver integrated services in primary care to address co-occurring physical health and behavioral health conditions, we have the ability to significantly impact health outcomes and total cost for this quickly growing patient population. 

Thank you to BHB for organizing this important discussion, and I look forward to more conversations surrounding behavioral health and Medicare in the months ahead.

#valuebasedcare #measurementbasedcare #medicare #behavioralhealth

Later this week Dr. John Taylor, MD, MBA, FACLP, Author Health Executive Medical Director & VP of Population Health, will be at Digital Health Day 2024 hosted by The Wharton School and Wharton Digital Health Club.

We’re excited to share our story and how we’re making a positive impact in the lives of our patients and their caregivers. 

Through our team-based delivery model, we’re successfully expanding access to high-quality care while also maintaining operational efficiency and medical excellence.

We look forward to discussing the emerging trends and opportunities ahead to meet the growing demands for behavioral healthcare.

#behavioralhealth #mentalhealth #medicalexcellence #valuebasedcare

Author Health’s Katherine Hobbs, MD MPH, Premera Blue Cross’s Michelle Guerra and Pinnacle Treatment Centers, Inc.’s ~Lori Ryland PhD, CAADC, BCBA-D lead a discussion on integrating behavioral health into Medicare at VALUE.

“In life, there are difficult things and beautiful things. Being a caregiver for someone is both of those.” 

Ahead of Sunday's Oscars ceremony, read our interview with Paulina Urrutia, whose love story and life with her husband Augusto Góngora is documented in the Academy Award-nominated film “The Eternal Memory.” https://bit.ly/3T5RmR9  

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