Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has added telemental health services to its
telehealth platform and expanded access to an online wellness program and will
be maintaining reimbursement parity for telehealth visits.
July 28,
2020 - A Massachusetts insurer is expanding coverage for mental
health services delivered via telehealth.
Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Massachusetts announced last week that it would offer telemental
health visits through its
WellConnection platform, expand access to an mHealth platform
that helps address mild to moderate mental health concerns and maintain
reimbursement parity for telehealth visits – including those done over a phone
– beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
“We know that far too
many of our members – both children and adults—are not getting the mental
health care they deserve,” Andrew Dreyfus, the health plan’s president and
CEO, said in a press
release. “Taken together, we believe these initiatives will help
address a critical need at a time when access to high quality mental health
services has never been more important.”
BCBSMA is one of a
handful of payers who have taken steps to continue expanded coverage for
connected health services beyond the COVID-19 crisis. The company has said it has
processed more than 2.5 million new telehealth claims since expanding coverage
on March 16 to address access issues caused by the pandemic.
The moves also
address a surge in requests for mental health services, which started before
the pandemic but ramped up significantly over the past few months. To handle
that surge, BCBSMA also announced that it would increase reimbursement rates
for child psychologists by 50 percent to entice more providers into the program
and offer new financial incentives for primary care providers who integrate
mental health services into their care platforms.
Ken Duckworth, the
payer’s senior medical director for behavioral health, said offering telemental
health services on WellConnection, the Blue Cross Blue Shield network’s national
platform, addresses another pending issue: the need for increased telehealth
services for college-aged students who may be returning to school this fall or
next spring.
It “solves a novel
problem,” he said. “Most psychiatrists don't have multi-state licenses. That
means if your child goes off to college in another state, chances are his or
her psychiatrist can't continue to provide services via telehealth.
WellConnection has licensed psychiatrists in every state to ensure our members
can get the care they need, regardless of where they are.”
By making access to
the “Learn to Live” online program free to all fully insured members, officials
say they’re hoping to expand interest in a coach-supported digital health
program that blends health and wellness into the care routine for people who
don’t need to see a doctor. Interest in the program, they noted, has tripled
since the pandemic took hold.
“Most of us are
experiencing higher levels of psychological distress during this uncertain and
stressful time,” Duckworth said in the press release, noting the program has
shown results in helping members dealing with stress, anxiety, worry and
depression.
In an e-mail to mHealthIntelligence,
BCBSMA officials said the expanded coverage for telemental health services
comes at a time when demand for care is high and access is limited.
“We’ve taken this
first step for mental health visits in part because even prior to COVID-19, the
rates of depression, anxiety, suicide, and substance use were already rising
across the country,” the company said. “We know people are under a tremendous
amount of stress right now given everything that’s happening in the world, and
the past few months have demonstrated that our members will use
telehealth for mental health care.”
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