PointClickCare and MassHealth Address Behavioral Health Crisis with the Launch of a Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform

 New statewide technology solution aims to alleviate current behavioral health pressures on the healthcare system

TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PointClickCare, a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful care collaboration and real-time patient insights, and MassHealth today announced the launch of a new Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform, which will be used across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. PointClickCare's platform is designed to support the Commonwealth's Expedited Psychiatric Inpatient Admission (EPIA) protocol by streamlining referral processes, sharing essential information on provider capacity, standardizing admissions information, and offering a transparent view of patients awaiting inpatient psychiatric placement in emergency departments or medical-surgical floors within hospitals.

"PointClickCare is honored to be partnering with MassHealth to support access to behavioral health treatment for individuals who need inpatient psychiatric level of care," said Hamad Husainy, Chief Medical Officer at PointClickCare. "With the Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform, we're helping care team members communicate and coordinate more effectively with one another, enabling patients to quickly and efficiently receive support and placement, leading to better health outcomes.  

The Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform is designed to address challenges associated with behavioral health boarding, in which patients face prolonged wait times in an emergency department or medical-surgical floor until an appropriate inpatient psychiatric bed is available. Behavioral health boarding can create bottlenecks in the care continuum, contributing to current capacity issues facing the healthcare system in Massachusetts and across the country. According to data collected by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the number of patients boarding in acute care hospitals for more than 48 to 60 hours while awaiting placement at an inpatient psychiatric facility has decreased by 59% since 2022. However, many individuals continue to experience delays in receiving placement.    

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to increasing access to behavioral healthcare for residents across Massachusetts," said Assistant Secretary for MassHealth Mike Levine. "The Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform is a major step in the right direction in helping to reduce continuum of care challenges and ensuring financial stability of healthcare organizations, ultimately supporting patients and making it easier for them to receive the care they need in a timely manner."

PointClickCare represents one of the largest care collaboration networks across North America. In Massachusetts, the PointClickCare network includes acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, major health plans, and provider organizations, making the company uniquely positioned to deliver a statewide solution that brings together stakeholders across different settings who play a role in the EPIA process. The Behavioral Health Treatment and Referral Platform will be used by acute care hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, health plans, accountable care organizations, and state agencies.

Interested in learning more about how PointClickCare facilitates effective care coordination for Hospitals and Health Systems, ACOs and Risk Bearing Providers, Health Plans, and more? Visit our website here.

About PointClickCare
PointClickCare is a leading healthcare technology platform enabling meaningful care collaboration and real–time patient insights. More than 27,000 long–term and post–acute care providers, 3,600 ambulatory clinics, 2,800 hospitals, 350 risk-bearing providers, 70 state and government agencies, and every major U.S. health plan use PointClickCare for care collaboration and value–based care delivery for millions across North America.

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SOURCE PointClickCare