In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jeremy Musher, the Chief Behavioral Medical Officer at Lifepoint Health and a member of the American Heart Association’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Together, we dive into the topic of how hospitals and health systems can provide better behavioral health services while seamlessly integrating treatment into patient-centered care.
Throughout our conversation, Jeremy highlights some of the common barriers that prevent individuals of all ages from accessing quality behavioral health care. These barriers include issues related to access, reimbursement, and the stigma surrounding mental health treatment. Jeremy offers several potential solutions to address these challenges, including leveraging telehealth services and enforcing laws at the federal and state levels that mandate mental health parity in insurance coverage.
Jeremy emphasizes that success in delivering behavioral health care is measured through various means, such as providing additional resources to underserved communities, reducing the strain on emergency rooms by offering appropriate care for behavioral health patients, intervening early with patients exhibiting symptoms, integrating physical and behavioral medicine seamlessly, and increasing the use of telehealth services.
Join us for this insightful conversation and learn about how hospitals and health systems can improve their provision of behavioral health services while integrating treatment into patient-centered care. Stay tuned for more engaging conversations like this on a monthly basis as part of our Chair File series. Watch the full episode for more information on how Lifepoint Health is actively working to improve access to a variety of behavioral health services in communities across 31 states.
