The human arsenal has always been a little on the loaded side, but if we being honest, it is still yet to possess anything more valuable than that tendency of ours to grow on a consistent basis. This tendency, in particular, has fetched us some really huge milestones, with technology appearing as a major member of the stated group. The reason why we hold technology in such a high regard is down to its skill-set, which realized all the possibilities for us that we couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, a closer look would reveal how the whole runner was also very much inspired by how we applied those skills across a real-world environment. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, including a timely appearance on our healthcare block. Technology’s foray into healthcare was a moment so notable, as it came right when the sector was beginning to struggle against its own obsolete structure. This reality, fortunately enough, went through a complete overhaul under the new regime, but even after achieving such a landmark feat, the emerging medtech concept will somehow continue to produce all the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident in recent times, and truth be told, a new development does a lot to keep that trend alive and kicking.
BCBS Massachusetts has officially teamed up with Talkiatry, provider of virtual psychiatric therapy, in-person therapy and medication management, to expand its mental health services. The move follows up on a discovery that talked about how the health plan was receiving almost double the amount of behavioral visits (8 million) than what it used to receive back in 2019 (4 million). But why did it specifically pick Talkiatry? Well, according to BCBS, what made this pick pretty obvious was the provider’s proven ability in terms of delivering support for a variety of ages, needs and preferences, thus offering optimal flexibility to conceive some really unique initiatives. Apart from Talkiatry, though, BCBS has also joined forces with two other organizations in And We Still Rise and DynamiCare. When quizzed regarding these two collaborations, Dr. Greg Harris, senior medical director of behavioral health at BCBS Massachusetts, responded by saying:
“And Still We Rise focuses on diverse populations, that’s their sub-specialty and that’s why we brought that group in,” Harris stated. “DynamiCare we brought in because they focus on a broad range of substance use conditions: alcohol, drugs and tobacco. And they provide a novel treatment model that we couldn’t really get in any other way.”
The stated collaborations will, of course, operate alongside BCBS’ existing contracts with the likes of NOCD for OCD treatment, Forge Health for addiction and trauma support, Aware Recovery Care for addiction treatment, and Brightline for family mental health support. However, despite having such an expansive network, the health plan is already plotting its next foray, as it gears up to enter the specialty care space. This will likely include treating conditions like eating disorders, autism, and more.
“These two areas, autism and eating disorders, are areas of high clinical complexity and sometimes difficulty in finding the right care in real time,” Harris said. “That’s why those are two priority areas that we’ve really made a commitment to try and solve as soon as possible.”
