In an era of skyrocketing healthcare costs, health systems are facing increased financial pressures. A recent survey from the Business Group on Health paints a stark picture, predicting that healthcare costs will reach a 15-year high in 2025. As budgets tighten and expenses soar, health system executives – particularly those accountable for success in value-based contracts and alternative payment models – are searching for innovative solutions to maintain quality care while managing costs effectively.

One critical, yet often overlooked, factor contributing to this cost surge is the prevalence of untreated behavioral health conditions, particularly in complex, comorbid populations. The impact of these hidden behavioral health needs on physical health and care utilization is both significant and costly. In fact, individuals with behavioral health conditions drive six times the medical costs of those without such conditions, according to a comprehensive study by Milliman.

Given rising costs, health systems must gain a deeper understanding of these hidden behavioral health needs and their impact on population health and care utilization. But many providers hesitate to ask patients about behavioral health because they fear surfacing these conditions and not having an appropriate program to refer them to. Technology is helping address these issues through robust data collection paired with tailored resource navigation. With the right data, health systems can identify behavioral health needs early and enroll these patients in the programs they have already invested in. Providers can also track progress over time and step-down care or discharge patients sooner, creating more behavioral health access for other patients. 

The Promise of Integrating Behavioral Health Data into Care

Incorporating regular measurement of behavioral health needs can make a substantial difference in care, filling critical data gaps and providing a more holistic view of patient health. However, gathering behavioral health data at scale has proven challenging for many health systems. There is limited time during appointments to administer behavioral health screenings, and many providers aren’t sure how to support patients if behavioral health symptoms are identified. This is where technology steps in, offering the ability to automate assessments, deliver timely clinical insights to improve care, and increase care team capacity through time savings and increased efficiency. All of these factors empower providers to deliver positive clinical outcomes in a financially sustainable way.

Here’s how integrating behavioral health data into care can help providers deliver greater value:

1. Improve upstream identification of behavioral health: Leveraging technology enables health systems to conduct regular, remote screenings at scale, providing a comprehensive understanding of population risk. Real-time data collection from trackers, journals, and other engagements can further quantify a patients’ risk profile and enable early interventions.
2. Optimize resources utilization: With these insights, health systems can better utilize limited resources to improve care. Higher-acuity patients can be enrolled in programs the health system has already invested in, like integrated care, while lower-acuity patients can be supported with self-care resources, like digital cognitive behavioral therapy (DCBT). When acuity changes, providers can adjust care in a timely way and deliver meaningful interventions.
3. Enhance quality of care: Having quality behavioral health measures allows providers to identify who would benefit from behavioral health care and track the progress of patients who are already receiving care. This allows providers to more efficiently move patients through treatment, improve care quality, and create more access within their system.
4. Improve pay-for-performance programs: When health systems enrich their data set with more behavioral health information, it helps fill the quality gap, not just in outcomes, but in attainment of key measures for pay-for-performance programs. This directly contributes to health system revenue.

Real-Life Examples from The Villages Health & Jefferson Health

To truly understand the impact of this approach, let’s examine two real-world examples:

The Villages Health: Surfacing Hidden Behavioral Health Needs 

The Villages Health, a risk-bearing health system supporting Medicare Advantage populations in Florida’s retirement communities, faced the challenge of managing a large Medicare population with high rates of comorbidities. By successfully launching an integrated care program, they achieved impressive results, lowering costs 39% PMPM for enrolled patients.

By partnering with NeuroFlow, The Villages Health was able to screen a larger population more regularly for behavioral health symptoms and more efficiently identify patients who would benefit from integrated care. In one cohort not enrolled in behavioral health programs, NeuroFlow identified 24% with behavioral health needs who would benefit from integrated care

Jefferson Health: Reducing Avoidable Emergency Department Utilization

Jefferson Health launched integrated care programs in primary care in 2019 but needed a way to do this more efficiently and at scale across several practices. By leveraging technology, they achieved remarkable outcomes. NeuroFlow’s remote, clinical assessments helped Jefferson Health increase screening rates by 19% compared to the period before implementing NeuroFlow.

By identifying behavioral health needs and delivering more targeted care, Jefferson Health was able to improve patient outcomes and significantly reduce high-cost utilization as a result. The health system demonstrated a 34% reduction in emergency department visits among patients who utilized NeuroFlow.

The Path Forward: Embracing Behavioral Health Data

As healthcare costs continue to rise and budgets tighten, health systems cannot afford to overlook behavioral health data. Although these measures have historically been lacking compared to physical health, today we have the technology in place to fill this gap rapidly. Health systems cannot manage what they can’t measure. But with NeuroFlow, they can finally collect and analyze critical behavioral health data to better understand population risk and mitigate unnecessary care utilization. Schedule a meeting with a NeuroFlow representative to learn more about how we’re helping health systems fill the data gap.

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