The National Council for Mental Wellbeing sat down with Vatsala Kapur, vice president of external affairs, Bamboo Health. Read on for an excerpt from their discussion:
One of the greatest challenges the mental health and substance use field is facing right now is workforce shortages. How does Bamboo Health think about this challenge and your role in helping to address it?
The causes of workforce shortages are multifaceted and include provider burnout. We believe technology can serve as one piece of the puzzle in easing the shortage by reducing the amount of time providers spend finding services on behalf of their clients using closed-loop referral systems such as OpenBeds®. We recognize that technology is not a panacea. However, we have seen that when communities of providers work together toward a shared collective goal of improving the lives of people in need, it not only enhances the lives of individuals in need but can also ease the burden that providers feel daily.
Given your experience in government affairs, what do state governments need to know about improving access for vulnerable populations that manage behavioral health challenges?
Since 2021, Section 1115 waivers have allowed states to use Medicaid funds for crisis support, but there is still work to be done to integrate this positive progress with broader healthcare initiatives. Currently, 20+ state Medicaid agencies use the grants, and many must rapidly scale workflows to accommodate this new means of care delivery alongside existing physical health care delivery streams. Organizations are dealing with increased demand and need with the same (sometimes outdated) workflows and systems. According to a HIMSS and Arcadia survey, only 57% of an organization’s data is used in critical decision making, indicating a lack of actionable data insights or challenges with siloed data. States and organizations need more than just data — they need clear insights based on the data readily available in existing workflows.
To follow the rest of the discussion, read more on The National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s website.
