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September – October 2019
In brief: Mental illness, diabetes, behavioral health and the opioid epidemic
Study calls untreated mental illness, substance abuse ‘staggering’
Hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents with a mental illness or substance use disorder are untreated, a crisis compounded by a shortage of health professionals and treatment facilities, according to the findings of a report* released July 30. Commissioned by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, a grant-making arm of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the analysis cites anxiety disorders, depression and alcohol use disorder as among conditions most left untreated.
New diabetes cases decline while obesity rises
The number of new diabetes cases among U.S. adults keeps falling, even as obesity rates climb, and health officials aren’t sure why, The Associated Press* reported. Federal data released May 28 found the number of new diabetes diagnoses fell to about 1.3 million in 2017, down from 1.7 million in 2009. The bottom line is we don’t know for sure what’s driving these trends, said the lead author of the new report, Dr. Stephen Benoit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the possibilities: Changes in testing and getting people to improve their health to prevent becoming diabetic.
Sharing the message about the importance of behavioral health
Over the past two years, we’ve been spreading the word to our group customers about the importance of behavioral health integration. Our efforts seem to be having a positive effect as the number of customers who are carving out behavioral health continues to decrease. Here’s a quick look at two recent efforts:
- As part of our Master Class webinar series, we conducted a webinar called
Checking in on behavioral health on April 25. You can view the on-demand webinar and presentation — and see what other topics we’ve covered as part of this series — by clicking here.
- We held our second annual Clinical Insights & Innovation Summit on Sept 9 in Plymouth to engage customers in dialogue with the provider community. The summit included a panel discussion on
The Collaborative Care Model: New Approaches to Achieve Integrated Behavioral Health.
A roundup of news and information about the opioid epidemic
We’re continuing to keep the focus on local and national efforts to battle the opioid epidemic, including Blue Cross initiatives. See the September Record article for recent news and information.
*Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan doesn’t own or control this website.
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