Vitalic has officially announced the launch of its signature geriatric behavioral health care platform, which is designed to treat the vulnerable and often overlooked older population who needs mental health care that proactively reinforces physical health and overall wellbeing.
According to certain reports, the stated platform banks upon geriatric psychiatry, therapy, coaching, and medication management to improve member outcomes and reduces total cost of care for Medicare Advantage Plans and risk-based providers.
To understand the significance of such a development, though, we must take into account a fact that, even though 25% of adults age 65+ suffer from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, 63% of that group does not receive sufficient treatment. In case that wasn’t enough, ageism and mental health stigma make the issue worse, negatively impacting well-being, while simultaneously making seniors reluctant to seek care. Adding further weightage to that problem is its track record of generating, on an annual basis, more than $63 billion in added healthcare costs.
Having said so, more than 95% of this spend goes toward treating chronic medical conditions that do not address the underlying behavioral health issues which is actually affecting patient health status and behaviors. Another detail contextualizing the severity of this issue is rooted in the fact that untreated mental health conditions cost payors more than three times as much compared to those without behavioral health issues.
In response, Vitalic’s latest brainchild leverages proprietary engagement model to effectively collaborate with payors and identify high-cost, polychronic members with untreated behavioral health challenges. Once that bit done is done, the solution reaches out directly to enroll them in a proven care model that fits their individual needs. You see, by deploying this particular technology, Vitalic aims to boost patient satisfaction, close critical care gaps, decrease unnecessary utilization, and reduce total cost of care.
More on the same would reveal how Vitalic’s team-based clinical model uses geriatric-trained behavioral health specialists, including Geriatric Boarded Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Therapists, and Mental Health Support Coaches. Such an approach, on its part, coordinates with a patient’s medical healthcare providers to enhance self-care, emotional well-being, and medication adherence.
“Despite the fact that this population continues to grow, targeted efforts to address seniors’ specific needs and impact on the healthcare industry have been too small and fallen far short,” said Ben Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Vitalic. “Our team-based approach supports patients through challenges including medication management, behavioral issues, and psychosocial struggles. We’re changing the dynamic of geriatric behavioral health care for patients and payors using a proven model that addresses the pressing needs of both stakeholders.”
Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper, we begin from its promise to provide specialized geriatric treatment. You see, all the providers here are trained in older adult issues and senior-specialized interventions and care. The said factor helps in rapidly improving outcomes, while simultaneously avoiding care mismanagement due to bias, misdiagnosis, or complexity.
Next up, we have the prospect of team-based care, where curated collaboration between behavioral health professionals enables Vitalic to deliver evidence-based interventions that address the unique needs of seniors with polychronic conditions.
Moving on to the solution’s proactive patient engagement facility, it combines risk stratification and AI/ML-based analytics to identify high-risk members. Post this identification, Vitalic applies predictive modeling to engage patients in the program. It also uses mediums like telehealth, secure chat, and personalized content to increase participation at scale.
Among other things, we ought to mention that Vitalic’s new solution will arrive on the scene with support from one of the nation’s largest home- and community-based health care nonprofits, payor/provider in VNS Health.
“Every day, our skilled clinical teams overcome enormous challenges in delivering high-quality patient and member care to older adults with complex, complicated care needs. Vitalic empowers them with senior-focused expertise to directly transform key barriers standing between these members and their best possible health,” said Dan Savitt, President and CEO of VNS Health. “Vitalic’s innovation and expertise in behavioral health allows us to provide specialized mental health care not previously accessible to our members, while reducing total cost of care.”
