State of Mental Health Services in the Time of Pandemic
May 5, 2021
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated the state of mental and behavioral health services during the COVID–19 pandemic restrictions. While there have already been long-standing concerns about the parity of mental/behavioral and somatic services adopted by insurers, the current situation highlighted declining access to mental health. The federal data review yielded conclusions that attribute lack of services to lack of available qualified practitioners, particularly in low-income areas, as well as issues with provider reimbursement rates. Oregon is one of the states having problems with meeting the need for behavioral health.
innovaTel Adds Two Nationally Recognized Figures to Board of Directors
Share Article ERIE, Pa. (PRWEB) May 05, 2021 innovaTel Telepsychiatry, a leading provider of integrated telepsychiatry services and a Platinum Partner of the National Council for Behavioral Health, has expanded its board of directors to include two, nationally recognized figures in the behavioral health field.
The board expansion comes as innovaTel continues to experience considerable growth, surpassing first quarter revenue expectations and remaining on track to eclipse financial projections as 2021 unfolds.
With the addition of Linda Rosenberg, a Columbia University faculty member and former president and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, and Michael Gaffney, president and CEO of Cellphire Therapeutics, innovaTel’s board of directors expands from seven to nine members. innovaTel President and CEO Jon Evans said the expans
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Therapists and other behavioral healthcare providers cut hours, reduced staffs and turned away patients during the pandemic as more Americans experienced depression symptoms and drug overdoses, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
The report on patient access to behavioral healthcare during the COVID-19 crisis also casts doubt on whether insurers are abiding by federal law requiring parity in insurance coverage, which forbids health plans from passing along more of the bill for mental healthcare to patients than they would for medical or surgical care.
The GAO’s findings are “the tip of the iceberg” in how Americans with mental, emotional and substance use disorders are treated differently than those with physical conditions, said JoAnn Volk, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms who studies mental health coverage.
Access to Mental Health Services Decreased as Need for Care Soared During COVID
A new report paints a picture of an already strained system struggling to meet the mental health needs of millions.
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Therapists and other behavioral health care providers cut hours, reduced staffs and turned away patients during the pandemic as more Americans experienced depression symptoms and drug overdoses, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
The report on patient access to behavioral health care during the covid-19 crisis also casts doubt on whether insurers are abiding by federal law requiring parity in insurance coverage, which forbids health plans from passing along more of the bill for mental health care to patients than they would for medical or surgical care.
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Report: Providers cut mental health staff, even as demand increased during the pandemic
As demand for behavioral health services increased during the pandemic, many organizations providing these services cancelled or rescheduled appointments, or laid off staff, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
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Even as demand for mental health services increased during the pandemic, some provider groups cut staff or trimmed programs, according to a report released Friday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The U.S. had already faced the opioid crisis and challenges in access to mental healthcare before Covid-19. Now, more groups are working to track the “crisis within a crisis,” as reports of anxiety, depression and substance use have increased.