From the Top

Christine Ehrich Revolutionizes the Autism Evaluation Process in Arizona

Axis for Autism founder built on background and personal experience to disrupt the system

by Valliere Jones

For years, many Arizona families have struggled to get professional autism evaluations. A lack of psychologists and an overburdened system have created waitlists of a year or longer — far too long for parents and children who need answers and life-changing intervention therapies.

With decades of experience in the healthcare space and a proven track record of building provider networks, Christine Ehrich felt compelled to intervene after hearing about the struggles parents endure. She spoke with numerous psychologists who shared their patients’ healthcare access barriers, and it reminded her of her own experiences as young mother.

“Their seemingly endless struggles to get an evaluation struck a chord with me. I remembered how powerless, helpless and vulnerable I felt when my son had a bone infection and was in and out of the hospital. Getting him the help he needed was torture — the red tape and bureaucracy was maddening, and I realized I was his only advocate,” says Ehrich. “I need a lot of purpose in whatever I do, and I knew my personal and professional backgrounds could help families get the services they deserve in a much shorter time.”

In 2020, Ehrich set out to disrupt the current system by founding Axis for Autism, a company that gives Arizona families answers, support and guidance as they begin their autism journey.

NOT HER FIRST RODEO

Ehrich’s leadership path started at Industrial Solutions Network, a company that revolutionized how injured Arizona workers received the physical therapy they needed. In 20 years at the helm, she amassed a network of physical and occupational therapists at 600 clinics in three states.

“By contracting with therapists with a wide range of specialties, we were able to match patients with those who could deliver the best outcomes and results,” she says.

After selling to One Call Care Management in 2015, Ehrich was soon back to network building.

RECRUITING PROVIDERS TO JOIN HER NETWORK

Ehrich’s experience building networks opened doors with psychologists, and by demonstrating how Axis for Autism permits them to practice at the top of their license, she ultimately persuaded many to participate.

“Many focused on cash-pay business because that’s easier for them — they get paid upfront and don’t do all the legwork of coordinating with insurance plans,” she says. “We work closely with the Medicaid and private insurance plans, taking a lot of the contracting, credentialing and administrative workload off providers’ backs. By making it really easy for them to participate, we’ve leveled the playing field so everyone has access to an evaluation if they need one.”

Psychologists also reported spending hours writing diagnostic reports, so Ehrich addressed that challenge by leveraging technology and processes radiologists have used for years. Psychologists access intake forms, parent and teacher questionnaires, the 90-minute video evaluation and other information through the cloud and take advantage of the system’s drop-down options and buttons to complete detailed reports much faster. Fewer paperwork hassles were a big draw, but Ehrich’s vision for helping them concentrate on their specialties was also enticing.

“Some of our psychologists are full time, but others want to work 10 hours a month. Meeting them where they are helped us build a deep bench with the best in Arizona,” she says. “All of them specialize in autism but have different niches and specialties. We have psychologists that really like the littles, so we send two- and three-year-olds to them, while others focus on adults or adolescent girls. We’re able to match our patients with the right psychologist for their evaluation.”

IMPROVING ACCESSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS

With many of Arizona’s top autism psychologists on board, Ehrich set out to streamline the process for patients.

“Instead of coming in for three visits, patients come in only once to get tested. The psychologist shares the diagnostic report via a telehealth appointment where patients or their parents are able to ask questions and get the resources they need,” she says. “We also have psychologists and clinicians who speak Spanish, Arabic and a number of other languages, which helps patients feel more comfortable culturally, and they get more out of the evaluation.”

Although Axis for Autism has slashed the evaluation process to less than 60 days and can evaluate 200 patients a month, Ehrich is nowhere near done. Her next plan is for mobile clinics that make it easier for people who don’t live near Axis for Autism’s three locations in Phoenix, Glendale and Tucson to be evaluated.

“It’s not an easy fix,” Ehrich says, “but collaborating with others to solve problems that impact people’s lives every day is incredibly rewarding.”

Axis for Autism axisforautism.com

AT A GLANCE

Company: Axis for Autism CEO: Christine Ehrich Headquarters: Phoenix

Who They

Are: Leveraging groundbreaking technology and a network of specialized psychologists, Axis for Autism has developed a model for streamlining autism diagnosis that’s slashing exorbitant wait times for Arizona families, ensuring them faster access to life-changing intervention and therapies faster.

WELL WELL WELL

Oak Street Health Expansion into Arizona and the Greater Phoenix Area

Oak Street Health, a network of value-based primary care centers for adults on Medicare, is on a mission to rebuild healthcare as it should be. To accomplish this, the company is always looking at new regions where this approach to healthcare is needed and where access to high-quality care is challenging. With a large density of Medicareeligibles, Arizona became an important state to bring this model of care. Oak Street Health opened its first center in Apache Junction in January 2022, marking the company’s 20th state entry.

Oak Street Health has devoted itself to providing unmatched care where it’s needed most and keeping older adults out of hospitals by caring for them proactively. Nationally, the primary care provider has a 51% reduction in patient hospital admissions compared to Medicare benchmarks. With more than 178,000 residents 65 years or older, Phoenix was of great interest to Oak Street Health. To date, the company has opened nine centers in the greater Phoenix area, including Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Apache Junction and Glendale, and two in Tucson, bringing the total number of Arizona centers to eleven, with plans to continue the expansion across the state.

Every Oak Street Health patient has a full team in addition to a provider — which include social workers, behavioral health workers and team members dedicated to helping patients get the most out of their Medicare benefits. Each center also has a community room, where Oak Street Health encourages patients to participate in fun, interactive activities like line dancing and chair yoga. Beyond physical care, Oak Street Health’s community rooms also promote patients’ behavioral health — an integral part of its care model — by giving patients a safe, engaging place to interact with other seniors and staff members. In addition to the physical and behavioral healthcare, Arizona’s Oak Street Health centers will also offer vaccinations and informational sessions on how to stay healthy during the holidays. —Rose Martin, regional vice president of Oak Street Health oakstreethealth.com

KWC Partners with VA for Veterans’ Mental Health

Ketamine Wellness Centers, the largest ketamine therapy provider in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Delic Holdings, recently entered into a partnership with the Veterans Administration in Arizona. Veterans suffering from treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and anxiety will have access to ketamine therapy at the KWC Arizona clinics in Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa-Gilbert at no out-ofpocket cost with prior authorization from the VA.

More than 20 million veterans live in the United States, and the State of Arizona is home to upwards of 500,000 veterans. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion found that veterans of all ages in Arizona are three times more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans, and veterans over the age of 65 are at four times greater risk of dying by suicide than non-veterans. Unfortunately, one-third of veterans know of a fellow former service member who is not currently receiving the necessary mental health care.

KWC originated in Arizona with Dr. Mark Murphy, Dr. Ellen R. Diamond, and Kevin and Julie Nicholson as the founders. All the founders had friends and family members who were active or veterans of the service, and they were tired of the horrifying statistics about veteran suicide. They knew this treatment worked and, through expansion of their programs into other states, they could build the infrastructure to provide these life-changing treatments to our veteran community through the Hero Discount and even better through their insurance.

The nation’s largest ketamine therapy provider is one of the few ketamine providers in the U.S. authorized to partner with the VA and remains committed to offering exceptional, therapeutic services that meet the needs of each veteran seeking quality mental health care. In addition to the VA partnership, KWC also partnered with the Veterans Administration Community Care Network last year to offer ketamine treatments to veterans at no out-of-pocket cost at KWC’s locations in Burnsville and Naperville, Illinois. These partnerships are in addition to the Hero Discount offered at clinics nationwide to cover partial out-of-pocket expenses of the treatment for military veterans and first responders.

The VA has a number of ways to become a part of its network. A healthcare provider can contract directly with the VA through the Veterans Care Agreement (VCA) system. The VA system also allows other third-party insurers to participate in veteran-member coverage through the Community Care Network (CCN). KWC is actively working with the Tricare CCN network to contract for Spravato services at KWC’s locations in Denver, Seattle, Mesa-Gilbert, Phoenix, Tucson, Dallas, Houston, Reno, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

One of the reasons KWC cites for its success in contracting in a number of the states is it has the 13 clinics in nine states. It has found the VCA and CCN networks, like most insurers, like to work within a clinic network to allow for consistent claims processing and allow for easier contracting and payment relationships as opposed to individual clinics throughout the various states.

“At KWC, we take great pride in supporting our veterans in Arizona and across the country. Unfortunately, veterans often face challenges securing the care they seek, such as access and affordability, and our partnership with the Veterans Administration will help to alleviate some of them,” says Kevin Nicholson, CEO of KWC and COO of Delic. “The VA is a dedicated service organization that shares our commitment to supporting our veterans on the path to securing the mental health services they need to gain control over their lives again. We anticipate even more VA contracts as a result of the resources KWC has committed to expanding insurance coverage for our patients.” —Mike Hunter

Ketamine Wellness Centers ketaminewellnesscenters.com