A startup delivers mental health care to those missed by the unicorns
The explosion of investor interest in behavioral health startups has minted an expanding list of unicorns focused on helping people access care through employer benefits or commercial insurance.
Concert Health has its eye on the other part of the market.
“I love what all those people are doing, but they’re all solving for probably 30 or 40% of the need among those people that are [privately] insured versus the 60% of the spend in behavioral health that happens in Medicare and Medicaid,” CEO and co-founder Spencer Hutchins told STAT.
While there are well-documented challenges in getting mental health care for everyone who needs it, Hutchins says that many of the people targeted by the largest startups in the space could eventually find their way to an out-of-network provider and navigate the “thicket” of challenges in getting reimbursement. Those providers are out of reach of many people on Medicare and Medicaid.
Founded in 2016, Concert helps health systems and independent practices deliver what’s called collaborative care — a method for treating behavioral health alongside primary care. Patients are screened for depression and anxiety during routine appointments, and those who may need behavioral health treatment are introduced to Concert’s providers, who follow up within about a day over phone or video.
