Hospitals and health systems are increasingly turning to telehealth to expand behavioral healthcare services as they contend with workforce shortages, rising demand and barriers to care.
During a July 14 panel at the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit in Denver, leaders from La Crosse, Wis.-based Emplify Health, Centennial, Colo.-based CommonSpirit Health and Iris Telehealth shared lessons from building and scaling behavioral health programs.
Here are five key takeaways:
1. Define the problem first. Before investing in new behavioral health services, organizations should identify the specific problem they want to solve, whether it is expanding access, addressing clinician shortages or meeting other community needs. Panelists also stressed the importance of listening to patients, clinicians and community members to understand local priorities.
2. Measure ROI. Leaders said demonstrating financial and operational value is critical to securing executive support. Suggested metrics included avoidable hospital days and reductions in workplace violence.
3. Build the workforce pipeline. Partnerships with educational institutions can help develop future behavioral health clinicians. Panelists also said telehealth can strengthen recruitment by offering flexible and remote work opportunities.
4. Choose experienced telehealth partners. Rather than building virtual behavioral health capabilities from scratch, organizations should seek partners with established expertise and the ability to adapt as healthcare needs evolve over the next six months or longer.
5. Celebrate incremental progress. Developing a sustainable behavioral healthcare service line takes time, panelists said. Recognizing small milestones along the way can help maintain momentum and keep teams engaged.
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.