MetroHealth Integrates Virtual Behavioral Health With Primary Care
MetroHealth, Cuyahoga County, Ohio’s public, safety-net hospital system, is partnering with a virtual-first health company called Ovatient to integrate virtual behavioral health services into primary care.
MetroHealth has five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Ovatient was formed through a partnership between MetroHealth and MUSC Health in Charleston, S.C., in October 2022.
Since launching virtual care services in April with MetroHealth, Ovatient has completed more than 10,000 visits in Ohio. And of the patients seen in its virtual primary care offering, almost 19% have been identified as in need of behavioral health services. With new virtual behavioral health services from Ovatient, MetroHealth is seeking to tap into effective new ways to reach patients who need mental health support quickly and conveniently.
“At MetroHealth, we have long believed that a patient’s well-being is more than just their physical health. That is why we continually invest in growing our behavioral health services to serve our diverse community,” said Nabil Chehade, M.D., executive vice president and chief clinical transformation officer for the MetroHealth System, in a statement. “This partnership with Ovatient enables us to take a step forward for our patients by providing them high-quality virtual behavioral health support that is seamlessly connected to their primary care team. We believe strongly in Ovatient’s virtual-first care model, which is improving access to care for our patients and increasing MetroHealth’s share of care in our region. We look forward to continuing to partner with Ovatient to bring more virtual care solutions to our patients.”
The new services, which include brief individual therapy, single-session interventions and skills groups, represent the next step in Ovatient’s investment in building on its integrated virtual multispecialty practice.
"We are extremely proud and excited to partner with MetroHealth to launch Ovatient’s virtual behavioral health services, integrated with primary care. This is an important milestone for our company as we continue to invest in and grow our virtual-first multispecialty practice,” said Ovatient CEO Michael Dalton, in a statement. “These new services will enable MetroHealth to better reach new and existing patients who have a critical need for mental health support and are looking for a team-based approach to their care. We look forward to building on this foundation to increase access to high-quality, convenient virtual care in Ohio and across the nation.”
The company said real-time data integration with Epic and MyChart enables seamless coordination between behavioral health and other medical providers, enhancing care quality and demonstrating clear return on investment.
"The research is clear. Integrated behavioral and primary care improves patient outcomes and satisfaction, increases access to care, and lowers costs for patients and the health system,” said Amy Lukowski, Psy.D., director of Integrated Behavioral Health at Ovatient, in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with MetroHealth to introduce these new services and seamlessly connect patients throughout Northeast Ohio to convenient and affordable mental health support.”
