CHS and population health management company, Mindoula, recently announced plans to implement an innovative program that integrates virtual behavioral health services into the primary care setting. The program – designed to help patients experiencing mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression – includes initial behavioral health assessments, care planning, systematic follow-up via digital and human interactions, and weekly review of the treatment plan.
The Mindoula program leverages clinically-validated patient assessments to identify behavioral health needs and track changes in those needs over time, providing physicians with actionable intelligence to better manage patients with behavioral health needs. Patients engage with caregivers via the HIPAA-compliant Mindoula Messenger engagement app, text messaging for medication reminders and other treatments, secure two-way video, phone and encrypted email.
Mindoula’s collaborative care services model has been shown to double the effectiveness of depression care, improve physical wellbeing, and significantly reduce health care costs.
“By integrating behavioral care with primary care, we can help our providers address the whole health of their patients,” said Lynn Simon, M.D., President, Healthcare Innovation and Chief Medical Officer of Community Health Systems. “Left untreated, anxiety and depression can have a negative impact on patients’ physical health and overall quality of life. Our partnership with Mindoula helps ensure mental health care is readily available for our patients. It will also help address the behavioral health provider shortage by enhancing virtual access to these critical services.”
Community Health Systems introduced the solution to about 80 physicians practicing in the Northwest Arkansas, Alabama, and Knoxville and Cleveland, Tennessee markets in October 2023. Already, approximately 130 patient orders have been written, with another 70 to 75 anticipated by year end.
One physician already using Mindoula is Dr. Randy Conover, a family physician affiliated with Northwest Medical Center Bentonville. He calls the tool brilliant for three reasons: “Mindoula provides streamlined access to psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists, something that traditionally has been cumbersome to manage from the clinic setting,” says Dr. Conover. “In addition to caring for the patient, these resources provide me with timely feedback, connect the patient with community resources, and manage behavioral health-related medications. It’s a tremendous lift off the family practitioner and an all-around better way to care for the patient.”
CHS will expand Mindoula’s collaborative care program on a much larger scale in January 2024, to as many as 300 additional primary care and advanced practice providers. By the end of 2024, CHS estimates more than 3,500 patients will have benefitted from access to behavioral health care through this program.