A Conversation with Highmark Leaders - Innovations in Digital and Hybrid Care

Doug Henry, PhD, Vice President and Medical Director of Enterprise Behavioral Health at Highmark Health, and Mari Vandenburgh, Vice President of Health Programs and Solutions at Highmark Health, join Eric to share Highmark’s innovative approaches to transforming care delivery through digital and hybrid solutions.

Topics include:

• Post-Acute Care Innovations: AHN At-Home Care program’s multidisciplinary approach integrates mental health support to reduce readmissions and save $600 PMPM in total care costs.

• Addressing Network and Access Gaps: Highmark’s strategic initiatives to expand access through geo-analysis, virtual-first strategies, and enhanced provider partnerships.

• Virtual Mental Health: A closer look at Highmark’s partnership with Spring Health to provide personalized, outcome-driven mental health care, achieving symptom remission in six weeks or less for 70% of patients with moderate to severe conditions.

• Living Health Strategy: Leveraging personalized nudges and integrated digital platforms to boost member engagement, with 79% receiving their first mental health care through the program.

• Innovation for Loneliness and Beyond: Doug shares groundbreaking grant projects, such as using technology and social prescriptions to address loneliness and improve senior care outcomes.

This episode is packed with actionable insights for health plans seeking to close access gaps, enhance member experience, and drive measurable outcomes in mental health and beyond.

Tune in to learn from Highmark’s bright spots and discover strategies to replicate their success.

 

About Doug and Mari

• Doug is a clinical psychologist licensed in Pennsylvania and California and brings over 20 years of experience in professional applied psychology, including inpatient, outpatient, and administrative assignments. Attracted by the integrated payer-provider model and emphasis on patient-centered treatment, he joined the Allegheny Health Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Institute in 2017 as vice president. In addition to his role at the enterprise, he continues to serve as a leadership dyad for the Institute.

Before joining AHN, Dr. Henry served as clinical administrator at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic for UPMC Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services, the UPMC Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders, and the UPMC Center for Eating Disorders.

• Mari is responsible for identifying and managing best-in-class healthcare solutions to improve Quadruple Aim outcomes related to chronic and episodic clinical conditions and validating multi-year business case value drivers and ROI. She has been with Highmark in various roles since 2005. Mari has a Bachelor of Science from Duquesne and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

About Highmark Health

Highmark Health is a $27 billion national, blended health organization with one of America’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network. Based in Pittsburgh, Pa., Highmark Health’s 44,000 employees serve millions of customers nationwide through the nonprofit organization’s affiliated businesses, including Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, HM Insurance Group, United Concordia Dental, enGen, and Helion.

 

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