Across the country, behavioral health leaders are redrawing the blueprint for care — smoothing patient access, merging mental and physical health under one roof, and using AI to route patients before a crisis ever reaches the emergency room.
Becker’s asked behavioral health leaders: What’s one system redesign your organization is already planning for, or one you believe the industry can’t avoid?
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Nikita Duke, DNP. Vice President of Operations for Behavioral Health at Fast Pace Health (Franklin, Tenn.): Over the next two to three years, one of the most important focuses for behavioral health will be creating a more patient-centered, technology-enabled care model that improves access while maintaining quality. At our organization, we’re already focused on simplifying the patient experience by making the check-in process easier and reducing unnecessary barriers before appointments. We’re also improving patient communication by expanding digital tools and developing a more user-friendly patient portal that will enhance communication and access to important health information.
Timely access to care is critical, so we’re strategically expanding our provider and support staff to offer sooner appointments and meet growing patient demand. We’ll also continue to grow our behavioral health brand by increasing awareness of our services, strengthening referral partnerships and extending our reach into more underserved communities. By combining operational improvements with thoughtful growth strategies, we can better serve patients while supporting sustainable expansion.
Micah Krempasky, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health and Well-Being at WakeMed (Raleigh, N.C.): Healthcare systems must redesign around a simple truth: We can no longer separate mental health from physical health. At WakeMed, we’re planning for that future through the development of a whole health campus that pairs a mental health hospital with an acute care hospital — not as neighboring buildings, but as complementary parts of a single model of care.
For decades, mental health hospitals have too often been hidden away, created in repurposed spaces that unintentionally reinforce stigma. Yet mental illness is no less deserving of beautiful, healing environments than cancer, heart disease or stroke. The next generation of mental health hospitals should be places people are proud to enter — places filled with natural light, access to nature, thoughtful architecture and spaces intentionally designed to promote dignity, recovery and human connection rather than simply containment.
Equally important, the learning should flow in both directions. Mental healthcare has long recognized the therapeutic value of fresh air, movement, mindfulness, peer support, art and meaningful social connection. These aren’t just mental health interventions — they’re human health interventions. As patients become more medically and behaviorally complex, the future isn’t simply integrating psychiatric consultation into medical care. It’s creating healthcare environments where the principles of healing transcend traditional specialty boundaries. I believe the organizations that embrace both whole-person treatment and whole-person design will be best positioned to improve outcomes, reduce stigma and meet the expectations of the patients and communities they serve.
Lalithkumar Solai, MD. Mental Health Chief and Vice Chair at Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston): Our behavioral health services are restructuring and realigning to meet the demands of our patients. At large health systems, clinical silos have invariably emerged over the last few decades that don’t cross-communicate, leading to confusion and poor coordination of services. That creates duplication of resources — resources that could otherwise go toward another, more essential service need.
This is a huge undertaking, but with the advent of AI and the growth of telehealth, we believe we can serve far more patients through streamlined services. This follows the model of air traffic control, with the goal of directing patients to the right level of service through the easiest pathway possible. By doing this, we believe we’ll avoid unnecessary emergency room visits and potentially high-cost hospital admissions.
At the Becker's Fall Behavioral Health Summit, taking place November 4–5 in Chicago, behavioral health leaders and executives will explore strategies for expanding access to care, integrating services, addressing workforce challenges and leveraging innovation to improve outcomes across the behavioral health continuum. Apply for complimentary registration now.