With the Omicron variant making headlines daily, New Yorkers are feeling stressed out over the holiday season, perhaps more than ever, as the State sees record daily highs of new COVID-19 cases and testing sites have hours-long wait times. As New York City continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the integration of body and mind issues and coordinated care have become more important than ever,” said Dr. Sanjiv Shah, Chief Medical Officer of MetroPlusHealth.
Before the Omicron variant, The MetroPlusHealth’s 2021 Survey of Behavioral Health (BH), conducted earlier this Fall, revealed:
- 54% of New York City respondents said that they were already stressed out about the holidays
- 63% indicated the pandemic had given them anxiety
- 81% of those asked said the pandemic made them realize the importance of mental health
The survey found that New York City residents lost sleep, felt lonely, developed anxiety, and were not grieving their losses properly because of the pandemic.
According to Dr. Shah, telehealth offers New Yorkers easy access to doctors, especially with the Omicron variant; it’s crucial that members enable virtual visits to get the help they need, free of stigma and free of charge.
Amidst an uptick in the utilization of BH services by its members, including a bump of nearly 85% in BH telehealth services, MetroPlusHealth’s transition to in-house BH services will help address the surge in BH-related issues, offering its members a more effective, holistic care experience, and will result in improved medical and mental health outcomes for members and greater efficiency for the health plan.
“Having mental health services in-house puts mental and medical health on equal footing and importance. BH impacts physical health, and physical health impacts BH. People with BH issues have significantly worse outcomes and shorter life spans. Seamless access to mental health services is more critical now than ever,” said Dr. Shah.
MetroPlusHealth proudly serves more than 633,000 New York City residents and has a network of 34,000+ doctors, mental health professionals, and multiple sites across the city. With the behavioral health integration, MetroPlusHealth will now perform credentialing and contracting, member services and crisis call center, utilization (including member appeals), claims adjustment/payment, 24-hour clinical coverage, case management, and care coordination.
Learn more about MetroPlusHealth’s 2021 Survey of Behavioral Health. For those interested in MetroPlusHealth’s behavioral health program, visit metroplus.org/provider/behavioral health.
