Brought to you by:

Welcome to The Census, your weekly roundup of what matters in behavioral healthcare.

Today, we’re breaking down:

• Autism’s feeding program conundrum

• Improvements in youth mental health

• Your latest news headlines in under two minutes

Let’s dive in.

- Shân

P.S. You share. We listen. Fill out our 3-question reader survey for June. 

Reading time: ~4 minutes.

On our radar

What we’re watching this week 

🍔 Children with autism need feeding disorder treatment solutions

Most states don’t even have a feeding program, and those that do have waitlists of 12+ months, plus huge staffing and reimbursement challenges.

About 70% of children with autism have some level of food selectivity. 

This isn’t just picky eating — it’s often eliminating entire food groups, which has dire consequences. 

• Malnutrition can lead to scurvy, growth problems, hearing issues, and even blindness

• Feeding disorder behavior can take over people's lives, even as adults

But feeding programs for autistic children are few and far between. Why? Well, to summarize, from a new study:

• There’s a severe lack of education and training around feeding disorders

• Only four (4!) programs opened within the last five years in the US

• There’s also a “concerning trend” of feeding program closures, driven by reimbursement barriers and staffing woes

The reimbursement puzzle: Providers can bill for feeding programs through ABA services or by using day rates and outpatient fee-for-service codes. But, both have their hurdles.

• ABA billing has a bunch of hoops to jump through, only for payers to “cut off a kid because they said they’ve been in ABA long enough”

• The ease of billing using outpatient rates depends on the payer: some don’t cover it at all, while others will pay but at a rate that “would make every program go under”

So, not good. 

But as all-in-one autism therapy models and value-based care grow, we’ll likely see more payer support. Then, there’ll just be the staffing issue to overcome…

🧠 Youth mental health is improving

Finally, some good news: Youth mental health has begun to improve after major pandemic dips, new data shows.

The good news: In seven of nine states, surveys showed lower rates of sadness and hopelessness in high school students.

• The CDC says it’s thanks to more dedicated resources for student well-being during the pandemic 

Yes, but: It’s hard to celebrate 35%+ of students feeling “sad or hopeless” for weeks, even if it is an improvement over time.

• Plus, LGBTQ+ students and teen girls experienced more mental health challenges last year, according to data from multiple states 

Read Axios’ report here. 

Let’s get your news headlines. 

Catch up quick

This week’s top stories

Latest news

❌ The HHS finalized new measures meant to disincentivize providers from blocking access to electronic health records.

👏 A federal judge has reeled back HHS’s ‘Online Tracking Bulletin,’ saying the rule “went too far” — here’s what it means for behavioral health providers.

🔫 The surgeon general (who has recently, it appears, found his voice again) declared gun violence a public health crisis.

📲 Bay Area teens are leaning on AI for inexpensive mental health support, but experts are wary.

🎉 Health insurers must continue to provide coverage of preventive services like behavioral counseling at no cost, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.

🧑‍⚕️ California's first-in-the-nation minimum wage for health workers will now start as early as Oct. 15 under a new budget agreement.

🎲 Substance abuse experts are sounding the alarm on gambling addiction, even as most insurers refuse to cover its treatment. 

✍️ Augmedix’s medical note-taking software will be introduced to Ohio emergency departments.

🤖 Speaking of AI, a McKinsey study found payers can use it to reduce admin costs by 13%+, medical costs by 5%+, and increase revenue by 3-12%. 

👀 And, both LifeStance and Acadia are exploring the use of AI in clinical documentation.

🚬 Four menthol vaping products were authorized by the FDA on Friday, a decision anti-tobacco groups are calling “a blow to public health.” 

🧑‍⚖️ Missouri is violating federal disability law by unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of adults with mental illness in nursing homes, the DOJ says.

💡 Keys to successful VBC contracting in behavioral health include preparing for (a whole lotta) friction and sticking to premium rates. 

📈 Related: The adoption of new tech and workflow training can help providers sustainably scale value-based care, according to population health experts.

🫁 A new drug that aims to prevent overdose deaths by blocking fentanyl-induced respiratory depression has advanced to Phase 2 clinical trials.

💉 In more drug development news, SpineThera will work with Mayo Clinic on new long-acting injectable drugs for SUD treatments.

🧠 And, Enveric Biosciences is prioritizing the development of EB-003, a drug designed to treat mental health disorders without hallucinogenic effects.

📝 CMS is now accepting applications for the new IBH model to improve the quality of care for people with mental health issues and SUDs.  

📞 Texas could bolster its mental health workforce by better positioning telehealth companies to help address youth mental health needs, experts say.

💊 Arkansas is suing two pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly fueling the state’s opioid epidemic.

🧑‍🎓 Student drug abuse is a problem at 70% of further education and sixth-form colleges, a new staff survey shows.

🇨🇳 House members are forming a new bipartisan group to crack down on China's role in the US fentanyl epidemic as part of a push to cut off illicit supply.

🧑‍🌾 US Senators have designated May 29 as Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day amid rising farmer suicide rates. 

💻 There’s still hope for behavioral digital therapeutics as the space moves to OTC — yet reimbursement for these solutions remains a challenge.

📊 The number of uninsured Americans dropped to just 7.6% in 2023, but this percentage is forecast to slowly start rising again.

🧑‍💼 The CEO of BayMark Health Services, one of America’s largest SUD providers, has stepped down (no tea here, just the end of a 16-year tenure).

👋 Telehealth giant Amwell’s president and co-CEO, Dr. Roy Schoenberg, will also step down and become the executive vice chairman.

👱 Cathryn Nacario will now serve as board president of NAMI, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization.

Expansions, launches, & partnerships

🧠 Two former Headway founders have launched Marble, a virtual affordable group therapy option for teens they’ve been building in stealth mode.

🌈 Mavida Health, a virtual mental health provider for parents, is introducing new offerings for LGBTQ+ patients.

🏗️ Texas will start construction this year on seven new psychiatric hospital projects worth $2.5B. 

🛏️ Smokey Point Behavioral Hospital in Washington announced the expansion of its SUD treatment services with the addition of 30 new beds.

🤖 Oracle is the latest to launch an ambient clinical documentation tool (how many is too many, you may also be asking).

🤝 Greenspace Health has partnered with Behavioral Health Innovations to provide digital access to its assessments for childhood PTSD.

Funding rounds & investor moves

🤑 Altaris has acquired digital health firm Sharecare for $518M; Sharecare’s offerings include digital therapeutics for mental health and addiction.

🪖 Navy SEAL-founded mental health technology firm INVI MindHealth landed $1.5M to address veteran suicide and mental health needs. 

💰 Autism provider Positive Development secured $10M to expand its alternative payment model arrangements with payers.

🎁 Autism and developmental disabilities services provider Melmark was gifted $30M from an anonymous donor.

🍄 Healing Realty Trust will spend $25M acquiring behavioral health facilities in Texas, Ohio, and Connecticut, with a focus on psychedelic treatments.

👀 Related: Massachusetts is trying to prevent REITs from owning hospitals.

♻️ AI-enabled revenue cycle management company Adonis raised $31M.

📉 The total value of behavioral health care deals was down by 18% in the first half of 2024 according to PWC’s new midyear report. 

You know how much we love putting blue buttons in this mail.

So here’s another, for our June reader survey.

It’s three (3!) quick questions. You’ll make our day.

Studies & opinion pieces

🤔 Ozempic’s addiction-fighting potential is being ignored because pharma can make more money elsewhere (opinion).

🧒 More intervention hours may not always lead to improved outcomes for children with autism, according to a new meta-analysis (study).

💉 Extended-release injected buprenorphine appears effective for treating OUD with fentanyl use (study).

😞 There are over three million preventable deaths worldwide per year due to alcohol and drug use (report).

🧠 Scientists have identified six “biotypes” of major depression, providing new insight into more personalized treatment (study). 

❤️ The critical role of cognitive processing therapy in healing PTSD (opinion).

That’s it for this week! See you next Wednesday with the latest headlines.

- Shân

P.S. You can email me here if you want to share any feedback, or let me know about a business I should be featuring.

Did someone forward you this mail? Wow, you have cool friends. Join us!