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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Reports 鈥楽hine a Light鈥 on a Critical Issue in Mental Health

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Reports Shine a Light on a Critical Issue in Mental Health

91香蕉视频成人在线 President Dr. Nicholas Covino engages in a discussion with students and faculty.

Two important reports recently released by The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation have the potential to make a big impact on one of the most pressing health issues of this generation 鈥 access to mental health care.

The Foundation鈥檚 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey, which was released in December 2018, found that half of those who sought mental health care could not find a provider. The survey was quickly followed by a companion study, Ready for Reform: Behavioral Health Care in Massachusetts, released in collaboration with Manatt Health, which urges a transformational approach to behavioral health care.

鈥淢any in our state have personally experienced the challenges of navigating the behavioral health care system, and the problems have been well documented,鈥 said Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation announcing the new study. 鈥淲e are fortunate to have many high-quality behavioral health providers and organizations in Massachusetts, and it is clear that they and other key stakeholders are eager to join together to launch a major reform effort. I believe that we have the experience and skill, as well as the will and tenacity, to get it done.鈥

The report recommends 鈥渁 series of specific and actionable reforms focused ,鈥 which 91香蕉视频成人在线 President Nicholas Covino applauds as a big step in the right direction.

鈥淚ndividuals and families seeking mental health care run into barriers you would not see when presenting with other medical conditions. A child with chest pain and shortness of breath will receive immediate attention at one of our region's excellent medical facilities. The same youngster with panic and thoughts of self-harm is quite likely to be boarded in the emergency department or returned home to parents to face the labyrinthine and impoverished system of behavioral healthcare,鈥 said Dr. Covino. 鈥淲e have treatments that are effective for the wide range of behavioral health problems, we just need an accessible system that can deliver them to those in need.鈥

The priorities identified in the report call on the Commonwealth to take action designed to: simplify the continuum of care; increase remuneration and decrease paperwork for providers; bring more evidence-based treatments and appropriate clinical skills to primary care; expand and diversify the workforce; introduce screening and early interventions; increase medication-assisted treatment; and align and simplify the Commonwealth鈥檚 complex behavioral health delivery system.

In , Dr. Covino pointed out that the shortage of behavioral health professionals is the major challenge to mental health access here in Massachusetts and across the country. 鈥淗alf of the population of the United States will suffer from a diagnosable mental illness in their lifetime, but mental health care is the most difficult referral for primary care professionals to make. The paucity of behavioral health professionals is the major challenge to mental health access. More than 50 percent of the counties in the U.S. lack even one psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor,鈥 he wrote.

鈥淭he Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is taking the lead in shining a light on this critical problem,鈥 said Dr. Covino. 鈥淭he findings of these reports are a must read for policy makers 鈥 and the time to take action on these findings is now.鈥

The and the companion report, , are both available on The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation website.

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