Becker’s Behavioral Health

Olympia-based Washington State Health Care Authority and Washington State Department of Health have released a new resource library to help clinicians and emergency responders prescribe and administer medications for opioid use disorder.  The virtual toolkit comprises videos, printable guides, testimonials…

About a dozen states are experiencing a surge in emergency department visits related to a new combination of fentanyl and a sedative 100 to 200 times more potent than xylazine, The New York Times reported Dec. 15.  The dangerous drug…

A study analyzing Medicaid data from 2001 to 2019 found shifts in prescribing trends for controlled medications, with declines in opioids, benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics, but rising stimulant and gabapentin use among young adults. The findings underscore both improved prescribing caution…

The Virginia Court of Appeals upheld Nashville, Tenn.-based Newport Healthcare’s legal right to operate residential treatment homes in Leesburg, Va., for young adults with mental health disorders.  The court ruled that Newport’s licensed group homes qualify as single-family detached dwellings…

It has been noted that the biggest problem with behavioral health referrals is that most patients, regardless of insurance coverage, do not make it into specialty care after they are referred.1 Low completion rates may be due to lack of…

Behavioral healthcare made up 40% of all medical spending for U.S. children in 2022 — nearly double the share from 2011 — according to a study published Dec. 15 in JAMA Pediatrics. The findings highlight sharp increases in out-of-pocket costs…

Mercy, based in Chesterfield, Mo., has scaled a virtual behavioral health division across four states, serving 35 hospitals and delivering psychiatric interventions to patients in crisis.  The model enables rapid evaluation of behavioral health patients, reduces unnecessary inpatient admissions and…

Art Kleinschmidt, PhD, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is departing his role for another position within the administration, HHS officials confirmed to Becker’s on Dec. 12. Christopher Carroll, SAMHSA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary,…

Behavioral health extends far beyond the walls of a hospital. From housing to nutrition, when a patient’s everyday needs are unmet, their mental health can suffer.  At Hampton Roads, Va.-based Sentara, Tracey Izzard, vice president of behavioral health services, noticed…

Brentwood, Tenn.-based Psychiatric Medical Care, a provider of intensive outpatient care for older adults, seized the opportunity to invest in youth mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic as behavioral health cases rose.  CEO Paul Smith Jr. and Chief Clinical Officer…