STRATEGY
PATH FORWARD IS…
a multi-stakeholder, national-local endeavor promoting the evidence-based, data-driven practices and policies that will best increase equitable access to quality mental health care.
METRICS
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Regional multi-stakeholder meetings of employers and insurers held for Path Forward priorities.
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Major health systems will be implementing the Collaborative Care Model as part of the Lone Star Prize in Dallas, Texas.
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Trained in Collaborative Care Model as part of CMS grant to APA/APAF.
FOCUS
We unify our partners’ voices and concentrate collective efforts on key priority reforms across all stakeholder groups. We are consistently and actively involved in ongoing dialogues with trade groups, accreditors, major insurers, and policymakers. We drive our results by reforming policies, scaling practices, and advocating for change at both national and local levels.
Collaborative Care Model
The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) adds a behavioral health care coordinator (associate’s or bachelor’s level) and psychiatrist to a primary care clinician’s team and brings the mental health screening and referral process directly to the person in need during a primary care visit. CoCM is extensively supported by scientific studies, with over 90 randomized controlled trials demonstrating its clinical efficacy. It supports safe, evidence-based prescribing at lower cost by leveraging the psychiatrist’s time 8X over. Collaborative Care is 100 percent self-sustaining with billing codes. Learn more details about CoCM here.
REFORM
Policy
Path Forward Partners are leading advocacy for the COMPLETE Care act, (S.1378/H.R. 5819) in Congress to improve access to behavioral health in primary care settings for Medicare beneficiaries through increased reimbursement and working with states to adopt CoCM as a covered benefit under Medicaid (33 of 50 states currently cover).
✔ State
✔ National
SCALE
Practice
Providing advice and technical assistance to help health systems implement Collaborative Care and helping employers support it with generous co-pays.
✔ Employers
✔ Health Systems
ADVOCATE
Change
Advocating with stakeholders through events, regular engagement with decision makers, and regional multi-stakeholder coalitions and training clinicians and health system administrators through our free practice toolkits and curricula.
✔ Clinicians
✔ Employers
✔ Health Systems
✔ Insurers
✔ Accreditors
Network Adequacy
Ensuring equitable access to high-quality behavioral health services by educating stakeholders to demand better from their health plans and administrators. Learn more about Network Adequacy here.
REFORM
Policy
The only employer-provider coalition advocating in consensus for the laws and regulations necessary to increase equitable access to mental health care.
✔ State
✔ National
SCALE
Practice
Providing technical assistance and resources to help employers improve their networks.
✔ Employers
_ Health Systems
ADVOCATE
Change
Advocating with stakeholders through events, regular engagement with decision makers, and regional multi-stakeholder coalitions.
✔ Clinicians
✔ Employers
✔ Health Systems
✔ Insurers
✔ Accreditors
Measurement-Based Care
Using precision measurement tools to detect individual needs early—just like we do for cancer and heart disease—and tracking outcomes systematically to inform treatment choices and drive person-centered results. Learn more about Measurement-Based Care here.
REFORM
Policy
Path Forward partners are leading efforts to establish regulatory and legislative solutions to eliminate barriers to data integration and interoperability for behavioral health providers, including legislation such as the Behavioral Health Information Technology (BHIT) Coordination Act (S.2688/H.R.5116). They are supporting the Biden Administration’s FY25 budget request to provide $1 billion to advance behavioral health information technology adoption and interoperability efforts.
_ State
✔ National
SCALE
Practice
Urging employers to include measurement-based care in contract negotiations with insurers and helping health systems implement it.
✔ Employers
✔ Health Systems
ADVOCATE
Change
Advocating with stakeholders through events, regular engagement with decision makers, and regional multi-stakeholder coalitions.
Highlighting benefits of measurement-based care throughout the health system—especially for people with serious mental illness.
✔ Clinicians
✔ Employers
✔ Health Systems
✔ Insurers
✔ Accreditors
Please reach out if you are interested in bringing reform to your own hometown.
