Research & Insights

Behavioral health

The behavioral health crisis won't change — unless we do. Without a radical shift in approach, we risk backsliding on progress toward behavioral health and health equity goals, having negative business implications across sectors. Our work uncovers the tangible steps leaders must take to meaningfully and equitably restructure the behavioral healthcare system.

Featured Insights

Research

Tactics to build a stronger behavioral health system

Health care leaders well understand the crisis at hand, and many have been heads down trying to stem the tide. But to make meaningful progress, industry stakeholders—provider organizations, health plans, life sciences companies, employer organizations, digital health organizations, and policymakers—must collectively shift from short-term, surface level approaches to tactics designed to improve the functioning of the U.S. behavioral health care system on a structural level. Each sector of the health care system (in addition to governmental policymakers) has a unique role to play due to the inherent strengths and limitations of their position in the industry.

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Growing your organization's behavioral health strategic function

Use this tool to assess the maturity of your behavioral health strategic function and identify near-term focus areas across four key domains: governance, data, goal setting, and partnerships. Progressing along the continuum will strengthen your internal infrastructure for behavioral health strategic planning and operations.

The 5 root causes of behavioral health inequity

In this Radio Advisory podcast, Rae Woods and Advisory Board’s Darby Sullivan and Rachel Zuckerman discuss the root causes of behavioral health inequity and the progress that has — and has not — been made in addressing the issue.

Expert Insight

3 'rate-limiting steps' key to improving our behavioral healthcare system

To correct for foundational flaws baked into our behavioral healthcare system, we need structural change. But what does that really mean? We’ve identified three non-negotiable steps we need to collectively take in order to improve behavioral healthcare.

Cheat Sheet

Understand the key stakeholders in behavioral health

For patients, navigating the U.S. behavioral health system is often a confusing and disjointed experience. Use this resource library to better understand the roles of the primary stakeholders in the behavioral healthcare sector, including organizations that deliver and pay for care.

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Tackle these challenges

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Your organization's role
Partner across the industry

Behavioral health leaders understand the current challenges in behavioral healthcare and may need to make the case to their leadership for added investment to address issues like inequities in behavioral health or the behavioral healthcare workforce shortage. Use data to articulate the problem, but also pair it with an understanding of the root causes of today’s challenges.

Not all organizations have a robust strategic function for the behavioral health side of their business. Assess where you fall on the maturity model and select key metrics to track progress moving forward.

Then, review sector-specific guidance on long-term solutions for behavioral health available for provider organizations, health plans, digital health organizations, life sciences, and employers. And all health care leaders can advocate for these state and federal policies.

Cross-industry partnerships are essential to achieve structural change in the behavioral healthcare system. Take the time to understand the complex system and each players’ relative strengths and weaknesses.

Quick reads from around the industry

Case Study

How GRAND Mental Health reduced psychiatric inpatient hospitalizations by 93%

Read our case study to learn how they implemented their 24/7 stabilization services to triage patients and easy virtual access points.

Case Study

How Shatterproof established national substance use care standards

Learn how Shatterproof convened subject matter experts and key payer stakeholders to identify eight principles of care for substance use and addiction treatment with associated metrics for each.

Case Study

CareOregon’s 3 partnerships to reduce the behavioral health workforce shortage

In response to a workforce shortage in Oregon in 2020, CareOregon established several partnerships to grow and strengthen the workforce supply by investing in the psychiatry pipeline, improving reimbursement, and incentivizing the delivery of culturally responsive care.

Cheat Sheet

Inequities in behavioral health

Regardless of demographic group, patients with behavioral health conditions experience unique inequities compared to patients with only physical health conditions. Learn how these inequities impact patients and healthcare stakeholders.

Go deeper on our latest research

Population health

Learn tactics for effectively managing behavioral health conditions to drive overall population health and reduce total cost of care.

Health equity

See our resources on how to advance health equity across your workforce, patients, and community.

Social determinants of health

Learn how to address social determinants of health and their root causes: structural racism and intergenerational poverty.

Workforce

Learn tactics to address the behavioral health needs of your workforce and build resilience and retention.