AdventHealth Launches Collaborative Care Program with Concert Health to Expand Whole Health Care
Integrated behavioral health services help primary care physicians identify and treat conditions such as depression and anxiety for patients in Florida and North Carolina
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. & SAN DIEGO – September 9, 2021 – Concert Health, a leading behavioral health medical group, and AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems with 50 hospital campuses in nine states, today announced a partnership to deliver Collaborative Care, an evidence-based model to identify and treat patients with behavioral health needs within the primary care setting. This partnership provides the patients of AdventHealth’s 100 providers in the Tampa, Florida and Hendersonville, North Carolina regions with same-day access to critical treatment for behavioral health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
“We are facing a mental health crisis. Our providers are seeing patients of all ages who are struggling with anxiety and depression and often don’t know where to turn. For some, there is a stigma associated with seeking help, for others there can be barriers to access,” said Penny Johnson, president/CEO for the Southwest Region of AdventHealth and executive sponsor of the health system’s behavioral health initiative in the outpatient setting. “This model is a clinically proven way to integrate behavioral health into primary care to improve behavioral health screening, access and outcomes for our patients. We now have one team working seamlessly together to provide whole health – body, mind and spirit – for those who trust us for their care.”
Traditionally, ten to fourteen percent of patients on a primary care provider’s panel have a behavioral health need. With isolation, grief, stress and anxiety increasing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has further increased the need for accessible behavioral health services. From August 2020 through February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of anxiety and/or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%. Without screening, over half of people struggling with behavioral health concerns never get the care they need. Primary care providers, who often have a long-term and trusted relationship with their patients, can play a key role in assessing the need for and providing behavioral health interventions.
“We’re honored to work with AdventHealth to help patients get the treatment they need for behavioral conditions like depression and anxiety, integrated directly into primary care,” said Virna Little, LCSW, PsyD, co-founder and chief operating officer of Concert Health. “Together, we are redefining primary care to include the full range of patient needs – behavioral and physical – and supporting primary care physicians to truly practice whole person care.”
The partnership between AdventHealth and Concert Health is based on Collaborative Care—an evidence-based approach to improving behavioral health care by identifying and treating conditions such as anxiety and depression in the primary care setting. More than 60% of Concert Health patients see a 50% reduction in their depression or anxiety symptoms within 90 days. This flexible, patient-centered approach will allow AdventHealth physicians to practice whole-person care through a high-touch model that addresses both mental and physical health.
“It has been a dream come true to embed this facet of patient care within our offices,” said Kelley Singer, MD, director of physician quality and physician enterprise for AdventHealth Hendersonville. “Patients visibly relax with relief as they learn behavioral health professionals practice within the same location. The willingness to engage with our psychiatrists or psychologists is almost 100% now, contrasting with almost never in the past.”
The expanded behavioral health services are part of AdventHealth’s renewed and increased focus on improving mental health care and resources for its patients and team members. The new model will enable AdventHealth to embed screenings into existing health care touchpoints, improve access to prompt and effective behavioral health interventions, and track outcomes to ensure patient improvement.
“Many people struggling with behavioral health concerns never get the care they need – either because they lack a diagnosis or don’t realize what it is that they are experiencing. This program allows a safe space for patients and makes it easy for them to get treatment and improve their overall health and quality of life,” said Rainer Chan, MD, chief medical officer for the AdventHealth Medical Group in the West Florida Division.
AdventHealth’s practices will connect patients with Concert Health’s expert clinicians to receive same-day behavioral health treatment, via phone or video visit, from the privacy of their home.
As an extension of AdventHealth’s network of care, Concert’s Behavioral Care Managers and psychiatrists will work directly with AdventHealth’s primary care providers and advanced practice providers to identify behavioral health conditions, develop a care plan, review patient progress and make adjustments as needed.
About Concert Health
Concert Health is building America’s best and largest behavioral health medical group. Through Collaborative Care, an evidence-based model for treating depression and anxiety in primary care settings, Concert makes it easy for primary care and women’s health physicians to deliver high-quality behavioral health care and improve clinical outcomes. Concert’s turnkey behavioral health services, which include an expert clinical team and a powerful technology platform, are available through partnerships with medical groups and health systems. To learn more about Concert Health’s approach, visit concerthealth.io.
Concert Health, Inc. is an administrative and managerial services company affiliated with several professional corporations that deliver medical services. Together, these organizations operate under the “Concert Health” brand.
About AdventHealth
With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 80,000 skilled and compassionate caregivers in physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, holistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system’s 50 hospital campuses and hundreds of care sites in diverse markets throughout almost a dozen states. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com, or Facebook.com/AdventHealth.