E09 – Accelerating and Enhancing Behavioral Health Integration through Digitally Enabled Care

Summary

The United States continues to face a behavioral health crisis that has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, nearly 40% of adults reported symptoms of depression or anxiety, an increase from 10% in 2019. The behavioral health crisis is also acutely impacting children and teens, with suicide the second-leading cause of death among those ages 10 to 24. A national 2020 survey also found that 71% of parents felt the pandemic had affected their child’s mental health. Despite the clear need for increased access to behavioral health services for both adults and children/adolescents, there is a persistent and severe shortage of behavioral health providers.

Behavioral health integration (BHI) is essential to resolving the nation’s behavioral health crisis. Furthermore, the current shift in the U.S. health care system toward digitally enabled care presents a unique opportunity to enhance BHI and engage more people in behavioral health treatment.

This interactive presentation from the American Medical Association examines the opportunities and challenges of accelerating BHI through digitally enabled care, expanding on their recent report with Manatt Health. You’ll also hear about the practical solutions stakeholders across the health care ecosystem can pursue to advance digitally-enabled BHI.