Concert Health Announces Results of Collaborative Care Partnership with Mercy Health
Concert Health, a leading behavioral health medical group, today announced results from a program with Mercy Health, one of the largest U.S. healthcare systems. The partnership provided Mercy Health’s primary care patients with access within 24-48 hours to behavioral health services through the Collaborative Care model (CoCM).
The partnership was initially launched in 2021 with a pilot program of 47 providers across nine clinics in Missouri after Mercy’s search for an evidence-based, patient-centered care model led them to Concert. As Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Mercy, Patty Morrow noted, “We quickly realized that the scale and expertise required exceeded our own resources.”
With the success of the initial pilot program, Mercy and Concert expanded the program to encompass 150 clinics and 1,300 primary care providers specializing in adult and family medicine, women’s health, and pediatrics across Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.
“We are thrilled with the results from our partnership, which has brought high-quality behavioral health services to over ten thousand patients alongside Mercy’s talented and committed primary care teams,” said Spencer Hutchins, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Concert. “Through our work together, we have been able to make behavioral health an integrated, accessible part of routine care. We look forward to expanding the program and extending its benefits to an ever-growing number of patients.”
The program’s success includes a provider adoption rate of 91%, and to date providers have referred over 13,500 patients. In the expanded program, anxiety and depression symptoms decreased within the first 90 days of treatment. By the final treatment, there was an overall decrease in levels of anxiety and depression, and patients also developed lifelong coping skills. For discharged patients experiencing anxiety symptoms, 41% reached subclinical levels. Approximately 38% of patients with depressive symptoms were at subclinical levels upon discharge.
Through the integrated program, patients are assigned to one of Concert’s Care pods where a masters-level clinician interacts with the patients via phone or video. Under the guidance and support of one of Concert’s psychiatric consultants, the patient will receive monthly assessments and evidenced based interventions that promote health education and coping skill development. The Concert team communicates and collaborates with the providers to ensure patient engagement and measurable clinical improvement.
“Concert Health’s approach is very creative. Instead of a referral out, it brings more experts into the established relationship patients have with their doctors,” said Morrow. “We are seeing great success in remote areas where we are able to provide care to those who may not have access to a specialist clinician or resources. This model, combined with the right technology and connectivity, is allowing us to bridge the gap and provide accessible care to many who would not have had access previously.”
