HealthArc: Integrating Behavioral Health in Remote Care

HealthArc combines a digital behavioral health assessment with an advanced analytics engine to rapidly identify patient behavioral health issues, assign risk scores, and generate alerts that are delivered in real-time at the point of care.

Digital Behavioral Health Assessments

Patients complete the HealthArc web-based assessments with their behavioral health clinician. Once in treatment, progress is measured by regularly administered update assessments. These assessments include PHQ 2-9, GAD7, AUDIT, PTSD, and CSSRS.

What are the CPT codes associated with BHI?

• CPT Code 99492
  Initial psychiatric collaborative care management, first 70 minutes in the first calendar month of behavioral health care manager activities, in consultation with a psychiatric consultant, and directed by the treating physician or other qualified health care professional, with the following required elements:
  1. Outreach to and engagement in treatment of a patient-directed by the treating physician or other qualified health care professional
  2. Initial assessment of the patient, including administration of validated rating scales, with the development of an individualized treatment plan
  3. Review by the psychiatric consultant with modifications of the plan if recommended
  4. Entering patient in a registry and tracking patient follow-up and progress using the registry, with appropriate documentation, and participation in weekly caseload consultation with the psychiatric consultant
  5. Provision of brief interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, motivational interviewing, and other focused treatment strategies

• CPT Code 99493
  Subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management, first 60 minutes in a subsequent month of behavioral health care manager activities, in consultation with a psychiatric consultant, and directed by the treating physician or other qualified health care professional, with the following required elements:
  1. Tracking patient follow-up and progress using the registry, with appropriate documentation
  2. Participation in weekly caseload consultation with the psychiatric consultant
  3. Ongoing collaboration with and coordination of the patient’s mental health care with the treating physician or other qualified health care professional and any other treating mental health providers
  4. Additional review of progress and recommendations for changes in treatment, as indicated, including medications, based on recommendations provided by the psychiatric consultant
  5. Provision of brief interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, motivational interviewing, and other focused treatment strategies
  6. Monitoring of patient outcomes using validated rating scales; and relapse prevention planning with patients as they achieve remission of symptoms and/or other treatment goals and are prepared for discharge from active treatment

• CPT Code 99494
  Initial or subsequent psychiatric collaborative care management, each additional 30 minutes in a calendar month of behavioral health care manager activities, in consultation with a psychiatric consultant, and directed by the treating physician or other qualified health care professional. This code can be used in conjunction with 99492, 99493.

Benefits of Behavioral Health

1. Improving Outcomes
   Integrating behavioral health care with primary care is now widely considered an effective strategy for improving outcomes for millions of people with mental or behavioral health conditions. The model enhances the overall quality of healthcare of the patients.
2. Improving Quality of Life
   Since many chronic conditions are rooted in lifestyle factors, they can also be compounded by behavioral health issues. By addressing behavioral health concerns through BHI, patients find it easier to manage, improve, and successfully treat chronic conditions.
3. Patient Convenience
   Mental health still carries a negative stigma. Through BHI, behavioral health providers and physicians can work together, providing a high level of convenience for patients, as their provider serves as a “one-stop-shop” for all their health needs. Whether it’s stress, depression, substance abuse, or a debilitating chronic condition, the patient can be treated in the same location.
   This provides more socially acceptable and easier access to the behavioral health care the patient needs, in an environment, they are more comfortable with.
4. Generating Additional Revenue
   BHI is a type of revenue-generating care management service. Medicare makes a separate payment to physicians and non-physician practitioners for BHI services they supply to beneficiaries over a calendar month service period.

Conclusion

HealthArc’s integrated behavioral health care blends care for medical conditions and related behavioral health factors that affect health and well-being. We are working closely with the concerned medical groups and industry experts to ensure that behavioral health is consistently observed and incorporated within our healthcare framework to help provide precise assessments score to the suffering patients.