Latest / Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast / Supporting Mental Health from the Inside Out: Dr. Matthew Hurford on UPMC’s Approach

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Supporting Mental Health from the Inside Out: Dr. Matthew Hurford on UPMC’s Approach · Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

• 0:00
  Everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the Becker's
• 0:02
  Pay Your Issues podcast.
• 0:04
  Thrilled today to be joined by doctor Matt
• 0:05
  Hereford, who is the president and CEO at
• 0:08
  Community Care Behavioral Health, which is a part
• 0:10
  of UPMC
• 0:11
  Insurance Services. Doctor Herbert, thanks so much for
• 0:13
  taking the time to be with me on
• 0:15
  the podcast again.
• 0:16
  It's a pleasure to be back. Thanks, Jacob.
• 0:19
  Yeah. Absolutely. And before we dive into everything
• 0:20
  we wanna talk with you about, can you
• 0:22
  reintroduce yourselves for our listeners? Tell us a
• 0:25
  little bit more about your career background, and
• 0:27
  then give us an overview of what you're
• 0:29
  doing today at Community Care Behavioral Health.
• 0:32
  Sure. I'd be happy to.
• 0:34
  I'm Matt Hereford. I'm a psychiatrist
• 0:36
  by training. I'm currently the president and CEO
• 0:40
  of Community Care Behavioral Health.
• 0:42
  That's one of UPMC
• 0:44
  University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
• 0:46
  insurance service division's companies.
• 0:49
  We're focused on supporting
• 0:51
  the mental health and substance use disorder recovery
• 0:54
  for over 1,000,000 Pennsylvanians
• 0:57
  that are covered under Medicaid in Pennsylvania.
• 1:00
  We work with 43 of Pennsylvania's sixty seven
• 1:04
  counties,
• 1:05
  to do that work and partner with thousands
• 1:07
  of providers and practitioners,
• 1:10
  in support of our members' health journey.
• 1:13
  Prior to joining UPMC
• 1:14
  about ten years ago, I was the chief
• 1:16
  medical officer for the city of Philadelphia's Department
• 1:19
  of Behavioral Health and have worked in,
• 1:22
  some pretty diverse mental health settings, including city
• 1:25
  environments, public community mental health centers,
• 1:28
  and even a stint with the Indian Health
• 1:30
  Service,
• 1:30
  in Arizona.
• 1:32
  Fantastic.
• 1:33
  So, Matt, as you know, May is Mental
• 1:36
  Health Awareness Month. Talk to us a little
• 1:38
  bit about how UPMC
• 1:40
  is supporting members, supporting patients,
• 1:42
  through what is a very important month to
• 1:45
  recognize.
• 1:46
  Yeah. This is such an important,
• 1:48
  time of the year. Of course, at UPMC,
• 1:51
  we we really feel that every month should
• 1:52
  be mental health awareness month, but it is
• 1:55
  an opportunity
• 1:56
  every May as a country for us to
• 1:59
  really shine a additional spotlight
• 2:02
  on the important role that mental health plays
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  in the whole health and wellness
• 2:07
  of people, including our members. And so there's
• 2:10
  a bunch of things that we're doing. I'm
• 2:11
  really excited
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  about them because I think, the needs are
• 2:14
  great, but the opportunities
• 2:16
  are are even greater.
• 2:18
  So we're, very much aligned with,
• 2:21
  Mental Health America's theme for Mental Health Awareness
• 2:24
  Month, this year, which is turning awareness
• 2:27
  into action.
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  Mental Health America is a leading
• 2:31
  consumer driven organization,
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  and
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  their focus,
• 2:36
  on turning awareness into action aligns very well
• 2:39
  with how UPMC
• 2:41
  is prioritizing
• 2:43
  going from,
• 2:44
  not just raising awareness and education about the
• 2:47
  important role of mental health, but really helping
• 2:49
  to make that an important difference in people's
• 2:52
  lives.
• 2:53
  And as a payer who's part of an
• 2:55
  integrated
• 2:56
  delivery and finance system,
• 2:58
  we think about this at three different levels,
• 3:01
  all of which are oriented towards improving the
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  health and well-being
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  of our members. So we think about it
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  at the staff level, our team members, the
• 3:09
  provider level, all of the practitioners and folks
• 3:11
  that are in our network, as well as
• 3:13
  the community level.
• 3:15
  Let me talk a little bit about some
• 3:16
  of the ways in which some of the
• 3:18
  things that we'll be doing this month and
• 3:20
  throughout the year, at each of those three
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  levels.
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  It really starts with our staff.
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  We know from the data, but also just
• 3:27
  from common sense, that when people's mental health
• 3:31
  is addressed
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  and really optimized,
• 3:34
  they're gonna be happier, more engaged, and more
• 3:36
  effective ambassadors for mental health for our members.
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  And we wanna make sure that we are
• 3:44
  messaging to our staff the importance
• 3:47
  about their mental health in their whole health.
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  So we, provide short and longer form education
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  about mental health that can be little bite
• 3:56
  sized,
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  sort of lunch and learn type of,
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  educational opportunities as well as on demand content
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  that they can access at any time. We
• 4:05
  provide incentives for our staff to engage
• 4:08
  in,
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  healthy activities that promotes mental health and and
• 4:13
  and physical well-being throughout the year.
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  And we also make sure that staff know
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  that we've got a really great employee assistance
• 4:21
  program that is available to them if they're
• 4:23
  covered under a health plan at any time
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  to help, you know, with their
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  mental health. It could be anything from problems
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  of living every day into, you know, mild
• 4:31
  to moderate symptoms of depression or anxiety or
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  other ways that stress might be impacting their
• 4:36
  lives. So it really does start with our
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  team, and we wanna make sure that we're
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  prioritizing
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  them so they can be the most infect
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  they can be the most effective,
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  supports for our members.
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  But the other, of course, key
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  resource for our members are our providers.
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  And we have we're fortunate in Pennsylvania
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  and where UPMC
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  works that we've got fantastic
• 4:58
  mental health treatment providers.
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  But our goal is really to broaden this,
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  and we wanna think not just about a
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  single front door for mental health. We want
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  an entire
• 5:08
  health care neighborhood
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  so that we can engage people whenever, wherever
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  there's an opportunity
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  to do so. So we do that through
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  expanded
• 5:18
  trainings around things like integrated care. So we're
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  working with our primary care partners
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  and specialty
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  non behavioral health providers
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  to improve their rates of things like screening
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  for depression, anxiety,
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  suicide, and substance use disorder.
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  That improves our ability to identify folks that
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  may have unmet or undermet
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  mental health needs and follow-up with them so
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  that we can get them into treatment or
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  supports or just give them information about mental
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  health.
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  And then finally, that third level is
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  or at the community level. So
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  simply put, we can't do this alone. No
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  one in health care can. We need
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  everyone,
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  engaged in this
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  from everything from identifying somebody who might be
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  struggling out there in the community that hasn't
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  yet come to the attention of the health
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  care system,
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  to folks that are gonna be following up
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  with people once they perhaps leave care.
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  And vast majority of people spend their lives
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  not in a doctor's office,
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  not in, an inpatient
• 6:20
  psychiatric facility or in a drug and alcohol
• 6:22
  rehab facility. They spend it out in their
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  communities, at their jobs, with their families,
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  in their places of worship, or
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  playing baseball or softball. And so we've engaged
• 6:33
  with lots of non traditional stakeholders who are
• 6:36
  trusted ambassadors, trusted stakeholders within the community. One
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  example is we're working with barbers and stylists
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  who
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  came to us and said, listen,
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  a lot of people are talking to us
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  about their mental health. They're telling us they're
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  feeling depressed or anxious. They're even talking about
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  things like suicide.
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  We wanna know more about these mental health
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  topics so that we can tell them how
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  to get help. So we have a program
• 7:01
  where we call Our Hair, where we work
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  with those barbers and stylists. We train them,
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  we educate them,
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  and they really become mental health
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  ambassadors in their communities. And they can,
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  not just do use techniques like motivational interviewing,
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  to help support their clients,
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  but in that theme of going from awareness
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  to action, we also set up a concierge
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  phone line so that they can then give
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  that
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  number right back to, their clients and help
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  connect them to formal treatment resources if that's
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  something the client's interested in. And this has
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  been a really effective strategy. We've replicated it
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  in a number of communities across Pennsylvania,
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  and our evaluation research shows that not only
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  do those barbers and stylists
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  feel more empowered,
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  and more educated to help their clients, but
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  folks from that those communities end up accessing
• 7:51
  more mental health and substance use disorder treatment.
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  So it's been a great technique for us
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  to go,
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  and kind of expand that whole neighborhood I
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  was talking about earlier where we can engage
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  folks around their mental health needs.
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  Absolutely. And it's such a good reminder, Matt,
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  that the that the mental health of your
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  staff and your employees is just as important
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  as the mental health of of the people
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  that you serve and all the communities
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  that UPMC operates in.
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  If we're backing up for a second for
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  our audience, can you expand for us on
• 8:22
  some of what you're seeing from from the
• 8:24
  perspective of one of the nation's largest integrated
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  care delivery and financing systems? What are some
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  of the most pressing needs in mental health
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  right now in May of twenty twenty five?
• 8:35
  Yeah. Well, we've got a a lot of
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  challenges. That's for sure. I mean, coming out
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  of the pandemic, we have seen some alarming
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  trends as it relates to suicide,
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  particularly in some,
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  certain demographics like, older white males.
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  That continues to be a real struggle,
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  for large segments of the population.
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  And I would say also,
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  children's mental health, if you kinda move to
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  the other end of the life cycle continuum,
• 9:02
  is really a growing concern. And we've got
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  things like social media playing a really outsized
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  role
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  in the social and emotional well-being,
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  of our young people.
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  And,
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  a large portion of them, were deprived some
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  of the social interaction opportunities
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  during COVID lockdowns, etcetera,
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  and just may not have,
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  been equipped with the same,
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  tools
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  and opportunities
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  to engage with,
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  not only their peers, but also,
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  with support systems
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  at school or elsewhere. Excuse me. Around their
• 9:37
  emotional and and and social well-being and health.
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  So we see in some of that, some
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  trends related to,
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  higher rates of depression,
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  higher rates of anxiety,
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  and in some communities, some elevated rates of
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  self harm behavior.
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  And so these are areas where,
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  again, we need everyone at the table. So
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  not just in our role as a health
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  plan, but working closely with providers,
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  particularly those that are engaging directly with, schools,
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  with child welfare, with other services and supports,
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  that really helped to wrap
• 10:13
  around the entire lives of young people. And
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  then the third area, I think,
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  is really around social isolation.
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  So, we know from, the prior surgeon general's
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  communications,
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  just how important social isolation,
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  and social connectedness
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  in are in our overall health and well-being.
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  And a lot of attention has been focused
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  on the role of social isolation in older
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  adults, and that's an area of significant concern,
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  especially as,
• 10:43
  lifespans
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  do increase.
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  Older people are finding that more of their
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  support structures and systems, their peers, their friends,
• 10:51
  their partners, or spouses
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  may have passed away.
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  And with people living
• 10:57
  in very in in less concentrated areas, they
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  may not have immediate family nearby.
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  But this issue really extends, again, across the
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  life cycle.
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  And helping people to understand the important role
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  that social connectedness, meaningful social relationships
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  is such an important,
• 11:18
  year long priority. But mental
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  health awareness month really gives us a a
• 11:23
  unique opportunity,
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  once a year to draw attention to this
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  because it makes sense to people. That when
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  folks are isolated, whether it's you yourself or
• 11:32
  somebody you care about,
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  we often see it reflected in somebody's mood.
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  So it's not something you need to have
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  gone to graduate school to wrap your head
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  around. It really does just make sense, and
• 11:44
  the solution is pretty obvious too. Pick up
• 11:46
  the phone, ask somebody out to lunch, maybe
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  spend less time on the computer or behind
• 11:51
  a screen and and get out and engage
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  with your community or or go for a
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  walk with friends. Pretty simple solutions,
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  but the data and evidence is
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  quite compelling
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  about how much that can help somebody's overall
• 12:03
  health and well-being.
• 12:05
  Absolutely. And I hear you loud and clear.
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  And I wonder if if you have any
• 12:09
  advice to offer in terms of how can
• 12:12
  people be more empowered around their individual mental
• 12:15
  health, Matt? How can people get over that
• 12:17
  hump of taking that first step,
• 12:20
  toward towards bettering themselves?
• 12:22
  Yeah. Well, you know,
• 12:25
  so pun fully intended, but I I think
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  sometimes we can get a little too much
• 12:28
  in our heads about all this mental health
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  stuff. And and I I mean, we really
• 12:32
  don't need to overthink this.
• 12:34
  Most people who have mild to moderate symptoms
• 12:38
  can do a lot of things on their
• 12:40
  own right now to greatly improve their mental
• 12:44
  health. Things like improving their sleep, the quality
• 12:48
  and quantity of sleep,
• 12:49
  getting regular exercise,
• 12:51
  helping to have a better overall healthier diet,
• 12:55
  and as we talked about just moments ago,
• 12:58
  increasing the amount of meaningful, healthy social interactions
• 13:01
  and engagement.
• 13:02
  All of these things are evidence based interventions
• 13:05
  that help your mental health, but you don't
• 13:07
  need a prescription. There's usually no co pay,
• 13:09
  and there's no known side effects to any
• 13:11
  of them. They tend to be low cost
• 13:13
  or free as well.
• 13:15
  So it really does check all the boxes
• 13:17
  for a great intervention.
• 13:19
  And there's loads of resources. So at UPMC,
• 13:22
  if you're a member of our health plan,
• 13:23
  we have all sorts of resources on our
• 13:25
  website,
• 13:26
  where members can go and learn about the
• 13:28
  kinds of exercises,
• 13:30
  some of which are, you know, more aerobic
• 13:32
  exercises like running and weightlifting, but also simple
• 13:35
  things like yoga,
• 13:37
  mindfulness meditation,
• 13:38
  deep breathing, etcetera, all of which can be
• 13:41
  really helpful. And same goes for things like,
• 13:44
  diet and nutrition and, and how to improve
• 13:47
  your overall sleep. Limit your caffeine, limit your
• 13:50
  use of alcohol,
• 13:51
  and eliminate,
• 13:53
  illicit drug use. All of those things,
• 13:55
  are not just healthy in and of themselves,
• 13:57
  but they can improve your sleep, which can
• 13:59
  improve your overall health.
• 14:01
  So this some of this stuff,
• 14:03
  can be hard because it's habit changing and
• 14:06
  habit forming.
• 14:07
  So it falls under category of it's simple,
• 14:10
  but not necessarily easy.
• 14:12
  But that really beats complex,
• 14:14
  and hard.
• 14:15
  So, good news here, lots of tools available
• 14:19
  to people,
• 14:20
  to kinda find the motivation.
• 14:22
  And once again, Mental Health Awareness Month, great
• 14:25
  opportunity for you to do a mental health
• 14:26
  check-in for yourself.
• 14:28
  Find out how you're doing. Really ask yourself
• 14:31
  candidly and honestly, how am I feeling? Do
• 14:34
  I have more good days than bad days?
• 14:36
  And educate yourself about some of the things
• 14:39
  you can do. And then finally, I would
• 14:41
  just say,
• 14:42
  do and think about
• 14:44
  mental health as you would any other health
• 14:47
  concern in somebody you care about. So if
• 14:50
  you saw that somebody was coughing or lip
• 14:53
  sick or had a new limp, you you
• 14:55
  wouldn't think twice about reaching out,
• 14:58
  or commenting and saying, hey. Are you feeling
• 15:00
  alright? You know, I noticed,
• 15:01
  you got this new cough or you're walking
• 15:03
  differently. We should be doing the same thing.
• 15:06
  When we notice people aren't showing up for
• 15:08
  work or they don't seem to be enjoying
• 15:10
  activities as much as they used to, We
• 15:13
  need to be able to say,
• 15:14
  hey. How are you feeling? And
• 15:17
  that helps really normalize,
• 15:19
  that mental health is a part of everyday
• 15:21
  health. And it also sends a really important
• 15:24
  signal that you are you care enough about
• 15:26
  this person
• 15:27
  to ask them what they're going through and
• 15:30
  what they're feeling. And then
• 15:32
  be educated and be prepared to come up
• 15:34
  with some of these,
• 15:36
  suggestions
• 15:37
  about how they can,
• 15:38
  address some concerns. And, of course, if at
• 15:41
  any time somebody's in mental health crisis, is
• 15:44
  having thoughts about hurting themselves or anyone else,
• 15:47
  obviously,
• 15:48
  you wanna get emergency help, whether that's by
• 15:50
  calling 911 or taking them to a health
• 15:52
  care facility.
• 15:53
  But fortunately for most people, those are not
• 15:56
  usually what's the driving effect. It's usually something
• 15:59
  that they're worried about,
• 16:01
  or they're feeling down about. And just showing
• 16:04
  that you care enough to ask about it
• 16:05
  is oftentimes the first step in helping to
• 16:08
  empower them
• 16:09
  to get their mental health into a better
• 16:11
  place.
• 16:13
  Well, it's all really great advice, Matt. And
• 16:15
  and before we go, that's the last question
• 16:17
  I would extend to you as well is,
• 16:19
  do you have any any more advice or
• 16:20
  any final thoughts for the health plan leaders
• 16:23
  listening in also looking to improve their members'
• 16:26
  mental health
• 16:27
  outcomes moving forward?
• 16:29
  Well, I would just encourage all of us
• 16:31
  to not think of mental health as something
• 16:33
  separate. It shouldn't be carved out. It shouldn't
• 16:36
  be in its own silo.
• 16:38
  The head and the body are connected,
• 16:41
  and the same is true about our health
• 16:44
  care. So the more we think about this
• 16:46
  in a holistic manner, the better we can
• 16:48
  do, not just to improve people's
• 16:50
  mental health, but also think about all of
• 16:52
  those chronic conditions that we're dealing with as
• 16:55
  health care providers
• 16:56
  day in and day out. All of them
• 16:59
  can be improved in terms of their overall
• 17:02
  outcomes if people are in a better place
• 17:05
  with their mental health.
• 17:07
  Fantastic. Well, doctor Hereford, thank you so much
• 17:09
  for taking the time to sit down with
• 17:10
  us and for sharing your insights with our
• 17:12
  listeners. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Jacob,
• 17:15
  and, happy mental health awareness month. Yeah. Absolutely.
• 17:18
  If you'd like to listen to more podcasts
• 17:20
  from Becker's HealthCare, you can visit beckershospitalreview.com.