The Comprehensive Behavioral Health Care Clinic helping to improve Mental Health Care access and outcomes - Quartet Health

Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and behave in our daily lives. Mental health can impact several areas of our lives, including productivity, relationships, physical health, self-esteem, and daily functioning. Quartet Health is a company that offers innovative technology and services to improve mental health care. The mission is to make mental healthcare more accessible and integrated into primary care. Their company achieves this mission by providing a platform to connect patients to the right care at the right time, creating a network of healthcare providers, and utilizing data to improve patient outcomes. The company focuses on identifying and addressing barriers to care such as limited access to mental health professionals, stigma, and inadequate insurance coverage. Quartet Health's solutions include virtual care, care coordination, and personalized care plans for patients.

The company prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of their work. Quartet Health partners with healthcare organizations, employers, and individuals to make transformative changes in mental healthcare. The goal is to create a world where everyone has access to high-quality mental healthcare irrespective of their socioeconomic status, race, or ethnicity.

Lead the way in mental health care access

Quartet Health is a pioneering healthcare technology company that aims to revolutionize mental healthcare. With a focus on bridging the gap between physical and behavioral health, Quartet Health works with health systems to deliver personalized, accessible, and effective care to their patients. The company's platform is designed to make it easier for patients to navigate the complex healthcare system, while also providing clinicians with innovative tools to improve patient outcomes.

The Quartet Health platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to identify patients who may benefit from mental healthcare services. It then connects those patients with appropriate healthcare providers in their network, streamlining the referral process and reducing wait times. The platform provides a range of tools that enable healthcare providers to collaborate more effectively, such as video consultation and secure messaging.

Behavioral Health Care Clinic

Behavioral health care needs have risen sharply across the United States since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting clinicians under enormous pressure as demand for mental health services outpaces supply. That gap is particularly serious for high-acuity patients. Data shows that last year, more than 129 million people lived in a federally designated mental health care “professional shortage area” and throughout the pandemic 65% of mental health organizations have had to cancel, reschedule, or turn away patients.

“Patients with serious mental illness are underserved, and there is a need for more access to measurement-based, quality care. We’re excited to introduce the clinic, which will help support a patient population that often cannot find care outside of the emergency department,” said Christina Mainelli, President and Chief Operating Officer of Quartet Health. “We recognize the capacity constraints; there are simply not enough in-network clinicians to serve patients quickly. Our providers will complement existing networks to ensure all patients can get timely access to quality care.”

Treatment from the clinic is provided by a dedicated, full-time multidisciplinary care team with experience delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to complex patient populations. The care team will coordinate care with primary care and community resources for comprehensive quality care. The team is led by board-certified psychiatrists and composed of psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, nurse care managers, and patient care coordinators.

Comprehensive Approach and Measurement-Based Care 

Clinic services include biopsychosocial assessments, comprehensive psychiatric evaluations, medication management, follow-up visits, and ongoing psychotherapy. In addition, nurse care managers assist patients with food, housing, job training and placement, access to medical health care, and other crucial areas that can contribute to and exacerbate mental health challenges.

“We treat the whole patient using a comprehensive approach that utilizes measurement-based care” said Dr. Michael Lipp, Quartet’s Chief Medical Officer. “High quality care requires an understanding of each patient’s needs, which includes not just their medical care but support in other areas of their lives.”

Measurement-based care focuses on whole-person outcomes, as opposed to the traditional fee-for-service model, and allows patient progress and outcomes to be tracked consistently across all clinicians and patients. Keeping patients engaged throughout their care journey is a top priority for the clinic’s providers to ensure improved quality outcomes.

Acquisition of Telepsychiatry

The clinic launch comes at a time of significant growth for Quartet. In 2021, the company acquired innovaTel Telepsychiatry as part of its strategy to develop market-leading care delivery capabilities to complement its existing ecosystem of high-performing clinicians who practice in-network on behalf of health insurance plans.

Quartet now employs over 200 clinicians, has over 20,000 providers on its platform, and serves over half a million patients annually — a number that is expected to double in 2023. The clinic launched in July, and Quartet has plans for a significant expansion in the coming year.

“Our clinic represents a major milestone in Quartet’s commitment to improving access and speed to care,” said Dr. Sherry Dubester, the company’s Chief Clinical Strategy & Quality Officer. “But we’re not done yet. We are excited to enter new markets and share results as our clinical care population and data set grows. We’re proud of our successes so far in improving access to and quality of mental health care — and we’re just getting started.”

Christina Mainelli, CEO

“Quartet is a platform that makes it easier for people to get the best mental health care for them.”