Becker’s Behavioral Health

As behavioral health crises drive prolonged emergency department boarding and staff burnout, health systems are adopting targeted strategies to ease the burden and improve care transitions. From building dedicated billing teams to integrating technology into daily workflow, behavioral health leaders…

As AI chatbot use accelerates, behavioral health clinicians are reporting concrete high-risk cases tied to patient destabilization and even treating patients as if they have an addiction, The New York Times reported Jan. 26.  More than 100 therapists and psychiatrists…

When the CEO of behavioral health payer and managed care organization Magellan Health thinks about AI, its use falls into several buckets. But the verdict on whether AI could replace providers is unclear. Caroline Carney, MD, of Centene subsidiary Magellan…

Hackensack (N.J.) Meridian Children’s Health is expanding access to pediatric behavioral health beds at its Carrier Clinic campus in Belle Mead, N.J. Carrier Clinic recently received state approval to increase the number of pediatric and adolescent inpatient beds from 36…

Mobile, Ala.-based AltaPointe Health has launched a weekly online peer mental health support group to help veterans transition from military to civilian life.  The group meets once a week via Zoom to provide a supportive environment for veterans who do…

Washington state has revised its physician credentialing application for the second time in five years to further reduce stigma around mental and behavioral healthcare, a driver of suicide in the healthcare workforce, the American Medical Association reported in a Jan.…

Maine made tens of millions of dollars in improper Medicaid payments for services provided to children with autism, according to a January 2026 audit from the HHS Office of Inspector General. The report reviewed the state’s 2023 fee-for-service Medicaid claims…

After decades of working with a third-party vendor, Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health is bringing behavioral health intake and insurance authorization in house, with the new model set to go live in late January.  Russ Micoli, vice president of behavioral health…

Health systems are adopting new strategies to expand access to behavioral healthcare amid increasing demand for services and workforce challenges. Two leaders share how their organizations are innovating to improve mental health support for patients through technology and integrated care…

Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services has proposed legislation that would overhaul the state’s early childhood and family services into a new district-based structure, drawing directly from the state’s Behavioral Health and Disability Services system redesign implemented last year,…