Minnesota Health Action Group partners with AiRCare® Health to improve mental health access and outcomes for people across Minnesota
First-of-its-kind partnership seeks to achieve same-day mental health appointments and improved care coordination through exclusive offer of AiRCare’s proactive, telephone-based, care management solution
BLOOMINGTON, MN. (February 25, 2020) – People across Minnesota and the country who need mental health services continue to struggle to find a doctor or get an appointment, not to mention actually realizing improvements in their conditions. But a new partnership between the Minnesota Health Action Group (The Action Group) and AiRCare Health is hoping to change that by offering AiRCare’s solution for mental health to Minnesota employers. Companies in Minnesota that implement this solution through this first-of-its-kind partnership will have access to information about mental health care and benefits across the state that will be used to raise the bar on the care experience for individuals and families, while improving outcomes and costs.
According to Deb Krause, vice president of The Action Group, this new product partnership is another building block in the organization’s focus on driving measurable improvements in mental health care. The collaboration aims to help Minnesotans get fast access to mental health services when they need it (and more specifically, the ability to successfully schedule same-day appointments with a behavioral health clinician), while improving short- and long-term outcomes related to remission from depression and anxiety.
“The hard data and personal stories from patients are plentiful, and they all point to the same conclusion – while progress is being made to improve mental health care in our state, there is still much, much work to be done,” said Krause. “Helping people get fast access to the right level of care is the first step to better outcomes. And by bringing together the research and collaborative efforts of The Action Group with the personal support and powerful analytics that AiRCare delivers, we believe we can create a next-generation use of data to measure and influence what really matters to people who need mental health care and the organizations that sponsor employee benefits.”
According to the partner organizations, visibility into trend data is essential to improving outcomes for mental health conditions. For example, data registries have existed for various disease states – such as heart disease and cancer – across the country for years; helping physicians understand specific patient populations and conditions, utilization of services, and outcomes. This is not the case for mental health conditions, for which little collective data exists. But the partnership between The Action Group and AiRCare aims to address this by garnering private sector collaboration and driving transparency into the state of mental health care across Minnesota.
“Without collaboration, change won’t happen.” said Jaclyn Wainwright, CEO, AiRCare. “In Minnesota we are fortunate enough to have strong, collective voices that are committed to measuring the right things, for all the right reasons. Measurement is key to accountability and improvement, but available measures do not capture many of the processes and outcomes that matter most to people. At the same time, many of the available metrics produce inadequate insight into the effectiveness of a given treatment or the long-term outcome of a clinical intervention. We believe that together, with local stakeholders and employers we can measure what matters and identify pathways to improvement while ensuring individuals receive the mental health care they need when they need it. We are honored to have the opportunity to make a difference in our home state through this partnership.”
A collaborative journey to better mental health care for all
The Action Group has long been recognized as a driving force for change in mental health care. Prior to announcing its partnership with AiRCare Health, The Action Group was selected to participate in The Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Use. As part of this effort, the organization will serve as one of eight Regional Employer Stakeholder Engagement Teams (RESET Regions) to leverage the influence of their employer and other health care purchaser members to work with health plans, medical and behavioral health groups, consultants and brokers to combat this public health crisis. The Action Group also gained significant momentum toward addressing mental health outcomes through its Mental Health Guiding Coalition and PCORI-awarded research grant.
Likewise, AiRCare has been providing solutions for families and individuals with mental health conditions for almost 20 years. The organization’s commitment to advancing mental health care for large populations dates back to 2015, when Wainwright began developing AiRCare’s advanced claims data analytics software. Over the years, AiRCare has successfully implemented a population health program that produces measurable, accountable outcomes for both payers and employers. Meanwhile, Wainwright has established expertise on machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), has co-authored several groundbreaking studies on long-term substance use disorder treatment outcomes, and built strategic partnerships with leading technology companies.
According to Wainwright, the AiRCare model is a unique blend of personal outreach and individualized clinical support backed by proprietary machine learning and behavioral health algorithms that allow AiRCare to connect with the people in need of care. AiRCare clinicians engage with individuals throughout their care journey, using highly personalized approaches to provide effective clinical support and care coordination.
To learn more about this partnership and The Action Group’s efforts to improve mental health outcomes, care delivery, and benefits, visit www.mnhealthactiongroup.org. To learn more about AiRCare Health, visit www.aircarehealth.com.
