MVP Health Care is investing $6 million to bring behavioral health services — from mental health to substance abuse care — in-house when the health insurer's contract with an outside provider ends next year.
To make the change, MVP has started hiring for 80 new jobs, from social work to psychiatry and psychology, said president and chief operating officer Christopher Del Vecchio. Most new hires will work at MVP's headquarters on State Street in downtown Schenectady, with others based in Rochester, Westchester or working remotely.
MVP has contracted its behavioral health services out to Beacon Health Options since 2009. That contract ends in early 2020. Del Vecchio was not able to disclose the amount MVP has been paying Beacon. (National health insurer Anthem is acquiring Beacon.)
Bringing the services in-house will be costly upfront but may save MVP money in the long term, said Del Vecchio. (He will take over as CEO in September when leader Denise Gonick steps down.)
"We think it's better care and it should lower the cost of care for our members," Del Vecchio said.
Improving behavioral health care is becoming a prominent topic nationwide. Private insurance claims related to depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions are on the rise, a report from health care nonprofit FAIR Health found. More than 20% of MVP's members have both a physical health and behavioral health condition, Del Vecchio said.
Del Vecchio gave an example of how bringing behavioral health services in-house may save money and help improve patient care. Someone with lower back pain may also be experiencing depression, something both doctors involved in the patient's care should be aware of, he said.
"Is the person depressed because of the lower back pain, or do they have a lot of stress in their life so they're experiencing back pain?" Del Vecchio said. "Someone might be given narcotics for their back pain and then antidepressants for maybe their depression and anxiety, and the two are interrelated … If you dealt with the root cause, maybe you don't need either the opioids or the antidepressants and anxiety drugs."
Reducing that redundancy, and potentially looking at non-pharmaceutical treatments like physical therapy and counseling, can save money, he said.
MVP is working now on securing the necessary regulatory approvals for the change from the state.
The health insurance company has more than 700,000 members in New York and Vermont.
Source:
https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/n..._news_headline
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