Behavioral health needs better metrics — Centerstone steps up

Centerstone wants to be the leader in setting standards for measuring behavioral health. 

The Nashville, Tenn.-based behavioral provider recently appointed Carol Bean as COO. Ms. Bean joined Centerstone in 2014, and previously served as the organization's CFO. 

The CFO to COO transition is a common move in the for-profit world, but less often seen in nonprofit organizations, Ms. Bean told Becker's. Ms. Bean plans to use her financial background to drill down on data at the organization. Centerstone operates dozens of outpatient treatment sites in four states, and two residential centers and one inpatient hospital. 

Behavioral healthcare was seen as separate from physical healthcare and didn't have a focus on measuring outcomes or finding the tools to measure them, Ms. Bean said.

The company's institute plays a role in studying quality and clinical practices. The payer contracting team also works closely with payers to figure out which information is most valuable to them, she said. 

"We want to be the leader, and to help set the standards on those metrics as we bring more awareness to mental health," Ms. Bean said.

Ms. Bean connected with Becker's to share her perspective on data in behavioral health and opportunities for AI at Centerstone.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. 

Question: Given your background in finance, what do you see as the biggest challenge when it comes to reimbursement in behavioral health?

Carol Bean: We haven't seen rate increases for some of our states in many years. For reimbursement for some of the critical services we provide, being able to afford infrastructure, technology, being able to afford rate increases for our staff and keep our properties and buildings up to date for our clients — it's expensive. 

Q: A lot of behavioral health leaders are looking for ways to make their work more data-driven. What are the biggest challenges to collecting solid data? 

CB: I think a lot of it stems from how we get the data, and what our payers are looking for in terms of how we can show them how the work we are doing is reducing ER admissions and ER costs, and how we can better partner with them based on what we do. We have made investments in AI technology to be able to help with this, and part of this is being able to measure our outcomes. If we have a more stabilized workforce, and we can continue to do great work and continue to invest in AI, in terms of being able to give us the software that we need to be able to produce these is going to be really beneficial. 

Q: Where are you using AI, and where do you see it being most helpful?

CB: One of the things in our strategic plans is making work easier for our staff, and making investments in AI tools that can help with documentation. Our goal is to be able to help our staff manage their time, their work-life balance and help reduce burnout. We feel like some of these tools will be able to help with that and retention as well. We're also making a really large investment in training for our staff, to be able to help new clinicians entering the field, to help them understand what their first session could look like, and be able to give them the confidence and the support, along with training, to deliver good quality care. 

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