Behavioral health is at a crossroads: Demand for services is increasing, leading organizations to expand access — but it needs to be sustainable.
Stuart Archer, CEO of Plano, Texas-based Oceans Healthcare, told Becker’s sustainability should center around a discussion that focuses on long-term investments, continuity of care for patients and community partnerships.
“If you take a step back, even as a country, I think we’ve struggled with a comprehensive vision of how to sustainably provide care to behavioral health patients in our communities,” he said.
Behavioral health intersects with the U.S. system at some of its weakest points: patient handoffs, transitions to lower levels of care and interprovider communication, he said. A lack of vision and investment in other levels of care prevents behavioral health from becoming sustainable.
The system needs a consistent thread connecting funding, access and continuity, Mr. Archer said. Instead, it has relied on short-term fixes such as grants, when long-term commitments are needed to integrate systems. Without sustained investment, the gains could be temporary.
“If we’re really talking about quality — about evidence-based, safe and compassionate care — then it has to be sustainable for the people providing it,” Mr. Archer said. “We can’t ask hospitals and behavioral health systems to keep building services that lose money or rely on sporadic grants. Quality has to be built into a system that’s financially viable, not one that’s constantly on the edge.”
He voiced concerns about the gap between his ideal vision of sustainability and the current infrastructure. The systems, he said, should ask themselves:
“Do we have these different components in place? Are they something intellectually we talk about, or do we actually fund them? Are they accessible to everyone, or just certain payers? Is it easy to navigate? Is it readily available? And then — is it financially sustainable? Can providers provide this care and afford to continue to provide it?”
Providers can deliver consistent, high-quality care only if the payment structure supports them, Mr. Archer said. To him, sustainability is just as much about keeping good clinicians and hospitals in the fight to help patients stay well.
Mr. Archer emphasized the importance of having patients, providers and payers reach a shared understanding of what constitutes a successful outcome in behavioral health. While there is a “wealth of measures,” alignment among stakeholders is essential.
Another key conversation is building partnerships that can make one plus one equal four, he said.
Oceans has partnered with New Orleans-based Ochsner Health and Baton Rouge-based Louisiana State University medical system to build and expand one the state’s only freestanding, teaching behavioral hospitals for LSU medical school psychiatric residents and fellows, he said.
“Through that partnership, we were able to triple the capacity for the community,” Mr. Archer said. “We were able to drop emergency department wait times dramatically. We were able to improve the retention of the staff. So almost every measurable outcome we’ve been able to dramatically impact through this partnership.”
He emphasized systems must find partners that align culturally and tackle similar frustrations in the field together.
