Behavioral Health Assessment

Opioid Treatment: Building Psychiatric Capacity to Deliver Appropriate Opioid Treatment That Aligns with Plan Policy

Opioid Treatment: Building Psychiatric Capacity to Deliver Appropriate Opioid Treatment That
Aligns with Plan Policy

by Micah Hoffman, MD, DABPN, FAPA

AllMed Behavioral Health Medical Director

 

The pandemic has exacerbated existing barriers to mental and behavioral health care even as its stresses have spurred greater need. At the core of the issue is a severe shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health providers.

“Patients typically have to wait weeks or even months to see a psychiatrist even if they have access to one.”1 – Ryan Kimmel, Psychiatry Chief of Service for University of Washington Medical Center

The shortfall is particularly acute in rural areas, less advantaged urban neighborhoods, and community mental health centers that often treat the most severe mental illness—and it’s escalating. By 2025…

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