Mercy to expand behavioral health program piloted in SWMO

A behavioral health program piloted by Mercy in southwest Missouri is expanding systemwide.

The partnership with San Diego-based Concert Health uses an approach called collaborative care management, in which patients can access behavioral health services through their primary care providers, according to a news release.

"There simply are not enough providers to meet the demand, particularly in areas where health care disparities already exist," said Patty Morrow, vice president of behavioral health operations for Mercy, in the release. "We cannot rely on the traditional referral approach to help people gain access to mental health care. Instead, we need to deliver more innovative and responsive solutions for our patients and communities.”

Mercy has been working with Concert Health on a pilot of the program since 2021. Mercy spokesperson Ettie Berneking said via email the initiative has been piloted in Springfield and Joplin.

Mercy now plans to implement the model in all of its communities by year's end, according to the release.

In a June news release announcing the results of the pilot, Concert Health officials said the partnership with Mercy's primary care patients resulted in access to behavioral health services within 24-48 hours.

"We are thrilled with the results from our partnership, which has brought high-quality behavioral health services to over 10,000 patients alongside Mercy’s talented and committed primary care teams,” said Spencer Hutchins, co-founder and CEO of Concert Health, in the release.

The program had a provider adoption rate of 91% during the pilot.