New Healthcare Partnerships Focus on Collaboration Rather Than Competition

Healthcare is a busy space, with lots of new companies trying to gain a foothold. A new referral network launched by NeuroFlow, bringing together several innovative services onto one platform, may be the answer for health systems looking to expand their behavioral health resources.

The shifting sands of the healthcare sandbox have attracted new players, as telehealth companies, payers and retail giants like Amazon and Google all look to compete for healthcare dollars. But while the line between a vendor and a provider gets murkier, new strategies are emerging that emphasize collaboration rather than competition.

One such example is NeuroFlow, a Philadelphia-based digital health company that has worked in the past with large networks like Jefferson Health and Magellan Federal. Recognizing that the behavioral health service they offer is just one part of the puzzle, the company launched a referral network this past July with a group of similar companies offering behavioral health services. The idea was the create a digital health platform that could be accessed by consumers looking for help as well as health systems seeking resources for their providers and patients.

"The impetus for the referral network is to improve access to behavioral healthcare for all populations, streamlining the relationship between providers and technology platforms, as the adoption of new tools continues to accelerate in the industry,” Chief Executive Officer Chris Molaro said in a press release announcing the partnership with LifeStance Health, Array Behavioral Care, Brightside Health, and Marvin.

“The formation of these referral partnerships will complement the needs of the existing – but evolving – healthcare infrastructure," he added. "Bottom line: if someone needs to see a licensed mental healthcare professional, we will ensure that it happens when it's needed, whether in-person or remotely.” 

To understand how this type of platform might be a resource for health system leadership, HealthLeaders sat down for a virtual chat with Parker Reynolds, NeuroFlow's head of strategic partnerships:

Q. How do you choose the healthcare organizations with which you want to partner?

Reynolds: All partners are companies whom we believe have strong clinical expertise and good user experiences. When choosing partners we tried to maximize for a breadth of insurance and state eligibility as well as a breadth of conditions and severities covered. Together, these companies have behavioral health providers in all 50 states and across a variety of health insurance options, and we are in active discussions with several other companies.

Q. Are organizations more receptive to partnerships these days?

Reynolds: I think you’re going to get a different answer from every company, but from NeuroFlow’s perspective, we’re definitely encouraged by the conversations we’re having and alliances that have been formed. Organizations are seeing a need to have connected resources for their patients/members to increase utilization and minimize confusion. There needs to be more education in the market about what technologies are available to providers, and this is one way to achieve that. By aligning these partners, we are helping to dismantle the bureaucratic notion of a patient needing to be 'in network' to receive the right care at the right time. This model allows for different partners to be activated for specific, tailored patient care.

Q: As evidenced by the recent Amazon-One Medical news, competition is increasing in the healthcare space. How do you address that?

There is a healthy competition in the industry as a whole, but Amazon still has a long road ahead. An acquisition comes with a lot of serious, hard to answer questions. For example, what’s the best way to integrate behavioral health into the primary care clinics One Medical owns? This will have massive implications, many which are still unknown. 

Q: Has the pandemic changed how healthcare organizations view these partnerships, or how they address access to care for those facing barriers?

Reynolds: I think partnerships like this are a reflection of the industry’s willingness to collaborate and support the various operational needs of healthcare providers today – from large systems to clinics, and even government organizations. We know that the pandemic accelerated the use of digital tools for things like behavioral health care screening. But these partnerships help create a more palatable way for organizations to approach behavioral health integration for the first time. 

Q: How will these types of referral networks evolve? What more can they do or what other networks can be created?

Reynolds: We plan to continue to expand our partnerships into more specialty condition areas. For example, chronic pain, OCD, and substance use. Additionally, we will continue to evolve existing partnerships through deeper technical integrations to enable more seamless user experiences that ensure all providers have a complete picture of patient care. 

Q: Are large health systems or hospitals interested in these types of arrangements?

Reynolds: We have seen that even large health systems who have their own in-house behavioral health resources are still facing capacity constraints and are open to partnerships to help with segments of their population. Furthermore, these partnerships are not exclusive and by building out the infrastructure and processes, we are able to more effectively triage individuals into the right care providers within the system.