Forge Health recently partnered with a major national insurer on a research study to determine the effect of the Forge Care Model on patient mental and physical health.
The outcomes of the study were groundbreaking. A full 12 months after completing treatment, Forge patients both achieved and maintained significant improvement in overall health, while also taking better care of themselves by seeing their primary care doctors more frequently.
The study compared the health and behavior of 70 patients over the 12 months prior to engaging with Forge Health to their health and behavior in the 12 months following. Results were striking, with members of the study showing:
• 62% reduction in emergency room visits
• 75% reduction in medical hospital admissions
• 39% reduction in all-cause hospital admissions
• 20% increase in primary care visits
These outcomes strongly suggests that Forge Health’s approach is an effective way to improve quality of life and overall wellbeing for individuals under care, while also reducing costs for patients and insurers.
Most studies that examine the effects of treatment on patients are conducted by the treatment providers themselves. This study is significant not only because of its results, but because it was performed in partnership with a leading national insurer.
The Forge Care Model is trauma-informed and utilizes multidisciplinary clinical teams, data analytics, and streamlined treatment delivery to provide individualized mental health and substance use care. Both high- and low-acuity patients can be treated, and social and co-morbid medical needs are addressed as part of the program.
Among American adults today, more than 65 million are living with at least one mental health condition, and more than 25 million are living with a substance use disorder. Anywhere from 60% to 90% go untreated, however, and the costs associated with substance use and mental illness are simply unsustainable.
According to research, treatment for mental health and substance use accounts for less than 2% of overall commercial health spending, but fully 40% of all health care expenditures are tied to patients with behavioral health conditions – an estimated $752 billion each year. It’s estimated that integrating behavioral and medical services for patients with behavioral health conditions could save $68 billion, annually
“In my over 30 years of experience in the addiction and mental health field, I have never seen study results that demonstrate such a significant relationship between behavioral health and physical health, or that so clearly show the positive impact behavioral health treatment has on an individual’s physical health,” said John Rodolico, PhD.
Dr. Rodolico, who serves as Chief Science Officer at Forge Health, as well as Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, continued, “This work changes the conversation about how behavioral health fits into the overall healthcare landscape. As we look toward the future, our goal is to conduct additional, similar studies to further illustrate the positive impact our unique approach has on the mental and physical health of our patients.”
“This is a pivotal time in our industry, and this data is setting a new standard for how key stakeholders in the healthcare industry should be thinking about mental health and substance use in the context of overall health,” said Eric Frieman, Co-Founder and CEO of Forge Health. “Historically, mental health and substance use care has simply attempted to treat the presenting issue, rather than addressing the underlying ’why’ behind it. By treating both, our differentiated model is transforming and redefining the industry’s traditional approach to mental health and substance use care. The results from this groundbreaking study suggest that addressing underlying mental health and substance use issues through a ‘whole person’ model is a critical key to improving an individual’s overall health.”
Want to know more? Click here to download a summary of results from this study.
