Webinar replay: Behavioral health: moving access to care and network adequacy into the 21st century

This webinar was held on September 7, 2023.

States, counties, health plans, and providers are asking how to meet the growing demand for behavioral health (BH) services. HMA teamed with experts to discuss these challenges at our recent Quality Conference where we crowdsourced ideas for how to redefine and measure network adequacy, examining provider selection, community need, and measurement.

This webinar reconvened those panelists to continue this critical conversation, shared feedback on factors that lead to “adequate” provider capacity, and discussed the impact of new federal network adequacy standards.

The conversation won’t stop with this webinar. We’ll use our continuously crowdsourced information and material for our BH workshop on Oct. 29, (the day prior to the start of the 2023 HMA Conference), making the connection between how large system reform in BH will shape how we think about network adequacy. We hope you’ll join us.

Learning Objectives

• Understand widely varying state standards for BH network adequacy and metrics — and validity concerns about how provider volume is assessed.
• Consider the true impact of BH provider shortage on care. (Reality check: we do not have enough BH providers and will not catch up at the current rate of training.)
• Learn about treatment engagement challenges and the need to establish criteria for discharge or discontinuation of treatment.
• Understand how extending BH workforce capacity with peer networks might ease shortage concerns.
• Hear about Delaware’s challenges and innovations to build an end-to-end ecosystem of care, shifting toward a journey rather than an episode of care.
• Learn about recent federal reform and new standards around network adequacy.

Speakers

Nazlim Hagmann, MD, MPH
Senior Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Commonwealth Care Alliance 

Rhonda Robinson Beale, MD
Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealth Group

Claire Wang, MD, ScD
Associate Deputy Director, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Delaware State Department of Health and Social Services