Houston Medical Times

Making The Jump: 3 Steps To Behavioral Health Value-Based Care

Physiatrists, Behavioral health providers face unique challenges to integration and value-based care, such as the lack of consensus on meaningful quality and outcome metrics; limitations on the ability to bill for services by certain providers; and interoperability and sharing of data. Nevertheless, recent federal policy initiatives support a broader adoption of value-based care. For example, the 2022 Medicare physician fee schedule adopted an exception to the “incident to” rules to provide for general (rather than direct) supervision of licensed professional counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists; authorized reimbursement for clinical psychologists and licensed social workers as part of a primary care team; and approved access from mobile units and the use of telecommunications technology in connection with certain opioid use disorder treatments.

These changes position behavioral health providers to engage in strategies to capitalize on the momentum and to stay ahead of the curve as the industry evolves to embrace value-based behavioral healthcare:

Step 1: Continue to prepare the infrastructure necessary to succeed;

Step 2: Partner with physical health providers who are already engaged in value-based care; and

Step 3: Negotiate your own

value-based contracts. These strategies can be staged or engaged in individually or collectively.

1. Prepare the Infrastructure. To benefit from opportunities for value-based reimbursement and population health management, providers must ensure that they have an infrastructure in place to track and share information between providers and payors. Specifically, providers must have systems in place to:

• access and integrate claims and practice data,

• report on quality metrics,

• identify care gaps,

• inform intervention strategies,

• support real-time patient engagement,

• manage population health, and

• align clinician compensation to drive objectives.

Providers who already have an established infrastructure to access, use, and report data on patient care and outcomes are prepared to jump as opportunities arise to capitalize on value-based care opportunities and

they are prepared to engage with other providers and payors and to clearly communicate the value they bring through measurable, high-quality care. Importantly, preparing to participate in value-based care also supports the management of your existing patient populations for improved outcomes.

2. Partner with Physical Health Providers.

Partnering with physical health providers and networks can provide a first step into value-based care for behavioral health providers who are not yet ready to engage with payers directly. Many physical health care providers have already launched value-based care activities and population health management. Effectively managing behavioral health can reduce costs for co-occurring physical health conditions and may reduce continued fragmentation of health care services. While the research on integrated behavioral health in primary care is not new, the industry has only

Lori A. Oliver, J.D. Kathleen Snow Sutton, J.D. Polsinelli, PC

COURSES

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Oncology Research

Embracing Precision Medicine, a Trailblazing Path Forward in Cancer Treatment

By Alison M. Rome, M.D. Texas Oncology–Houston

Unlocking the genetic “secrets” inside cancer cells is revolutionizing oncology. This advancement in medical science is the foundation of precision medicine which provides patients with more personalized and targeted treatment, based on understanding the genetic information of a patient’s cancer. This is especially relevant for Texans who will soon have increased access to the testing needed for precision medicine treatment planning.

Unlike traditional cancer

can be identified across different forms of cancer. Patients who have tumors with common genetic alterations can benefit from treatments that target those shared changes.

Every year, the field of precision medicine makes substantial strides as researchers continue to unearth genetic variations, prompting the development of new drugs and treatments that home in on changes within tumors. This progress is then integrated into clinical practice, potentially influencing the criteria for clinical trials and treatment protocols.

Applying Precision Medicine to Oncology Care Through Biomarker Testing

Biomarker testing is the cornerstone of how precision medicine is applied in oncology care, and it is integral to developing personalized

treatments that take a more generalized approach, precision medicine leverages the genetic insights obtained from specialized testing of a patient’s tumor, known as next generation sequencing or biomarker testing. Every person’s cancer has a unique genetic makeup, including certain cancer biomarkers, which are the genes and proteins on cancer cells. These biomarkers can be tested to learn important details about a specific patient’s cancer. By analyzing the genetic changes within the tumor, physicians can determine the most effective course of action for each individual patient.

A Closer Look at Precision Medicine

One of the remarkable facets of precision medicine is that is transcends the typical focus on cancer types. Regardless of whether the patient’s disease originated as breast cancer, lung cancer, sarcoma, or melanoma, similar cancer-causing genetic changes

therapies.

Even with the same type of cancer, cells can have different gene mutations, which may determine how effectively the cancer responds to certain types of treatment. When a specific biomarker is identified, more effective, targeted therapies can be given to attack those cancer cells.

As technology advances, biomarker testing will become more specific. Physicians may be able to diagnose cancer and check for specific biomarkers from a blood sample without the need for a biopsy. Additionally, biomarkers will increasingly be used to:

• Determine a person’s risk of developing cancer in the future.

• Find cancer at an early stage.

• See if treatment for cancer is effective.

• Check if a patient’s cancer has

see Oncology Research...page 14

Houston Athletics and Memorial Hermann Launch New Chapter: Football Operations Center Named for Health System

NewThe University of Houston Athletics program today announced support from Memorial Hermann Health System for UH’s planned state-of-the-art Houston Football Operations Center and scholarships for Houston’s student-athletes.

In recognition of the agreement, the University has awarded Memorial Hermann naming rights to the center, which will be known as the Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center. The athletic training facilities within both the Center and the Athletics/ Alumni Center also will bear Memorial Hermann’s name.

“To have an entity as prestigious as Memorial Hermann step up and put their name on a very visible and important component in our Football Operations Center is gratifying and humbling,” said

Chris Pezman, UH vice president for athletics. “It comes at a great time as we join the Big 12 and break ground on our facility at the end of the 2023 season.”

The University of Houston became an official member of the Big 12 Conference on July 1. The planned $130 million Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center will feature amenities including state-of-the-art sports performance centers, an academic support services suite, a leading-edge locker room facility, student-athlete flex space and office space to house the Houston Football coaching and support staff. The Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center will also provide additional premium seating to TDECU Stadium with 14 suites, a 450-seat club section with access to an 11,000-square-foot club and 300-seat roof terrace facing inward

to John O’Quinn Field. The center is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Memorial Hermann’s support will enhance opportunities for student-athletes, the University as a whole, as well as the Greater Houston community.

“Memorial Hermann strives to make Greater Houston a place where everyone can achieve their full potential, and that includes the outstanding student-athletes who’ve helped usher the University of Houston into the Big 12,” said David L. Callender, MD, president and CEO of Memorial Hermann. “Our partnership with the University of Houston is part of our commitment to serving everyone who calls Houston home. We are thrilled to be part of UH’s athletic journey and can’t wait to celebrate its accomplishments on

and off the field.”

With 17 hospitals and numerous specialty programs and services located throughout the Greater Houston area, Memorial Hermann is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in Texas.

“We are incredibly grateful for Memorial Hermann’s generous support and for their commitment to our university and athletics program. This partnership represents a transformative opportunity as we embark on an exciting new chapter in the Big 12,” said Renu Khator, University of Houston president. “The Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center will elevate the experience for our student-athletes, providing them with the resources to enable success on and off the field. Together, we are poised to achieve new heights.”

Mental Health Understanding Imperfection

By Michael Jones Ph.D

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum, giving the resulting piece a unique, beautiful appearance. The

philosophy behind kintsugi is that the repair is part of the history of the object and that the cracks and breaks give the object character and beauty.

The concept of kintsugi can be viewed as a metaphor for coping with emotional or psychological trauma. Just as the broken pottery is mended and strengthened through the process of kintsugi, individuals who have experienced trauma can also learn to heal and strengthen themselves through their struggles.

The concept of kintsugi can help us understand that emotional or psychological scars are not something to be hidden or ashamed of but something that can be embraced and celebrated as part of their unique journey. The idea that the cracks and

breaks in an object can give it character and beauty can apply to the idea that our struggles can also strengthen us and make us become more resilient.

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic concept that values the beauty of things that are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is the art of finding beauty in things that are “worn,” “weathered,” or “aged.” Wabi-sabi is often associated with Zen Buddhism and has been described as a way of living that emphasizes simplicity, humility, and the appreciation of natural and humble objects. We can learn to accept our own imperfections and impermanence. We can come to realize that these are a natural part of the human experience. This can help us develop a more accepting and compassionate view of ourselves and others, which can be beneficial for mental health and well-being.

Thousands of years ago, Buddhism taught ways to reduce suffering. Now people are still stressed, and we have modern psychology for help. the book explores the overlap

of ancient wisdom and psychology in a practical guide for anyone suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress. If you are interested in mental health and well-being, you can find it on Amazon.

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Improving Hospital Stays and Outcomes for Older Patients with Dementia Through AI

Study Looks at Risk Factors to Predict Hospitalization Outcomes By Developing Machine Learning Model

By using artificial intelligence, Houston Methodist researchers are able to predict hospitalization outcomes of geriatric patients with dementia on the first or second day of hospital admission. This early assessment of outcomes means more timely interventions, better care coordination, more judicious resource allocation, focused care management and timely treatment for these more vulnerable, high-risk patients.

Because geriatric patients with dementia have longer hospital stays and incur higher health care costs than other patients, the team sought to solve this problem by identifying modifiable risk factors and developing an artificial intelligence model that improves patient outcomes, enhances their quality of life and reduces their

hospital readmission risk, as well as reducing hospitalization costs once the model is put into practice.

The study, appearing in the Sept. 29 issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions, a journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, looked at the hospital records of 8,407 geriatric patients with dementia over 10 years within Houston Methodist’s system of eight hospitals, identifying risk factors for poor outcomes among subgroups of patients with different types of dementia that stem from diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, vascular dementia and Huntington’s, among others. From this data, the researchers developed a machine learning model to quickly recognize the predictive risk factors and their ranked importance for

undesirable hospitalization outcomes early in the course of these patients’ hospital stays.

With an accuracy of 95.6%, their model outperformed all other prevalent methods of risk assessment for these multiple types of dementia. The researchers add that none of the other current methods have applied AI to comprehensively predict hospitalization outcomes of elderly patients with dementia in this way nor do they identify specific risk factors that can be modifiable by additional clinical procedures or precautions to reduce the risks.

“The study showed that if we can identify geriatric patients with dementia as soon as they are hospitalized and recognize the significant risk factors, then we can implement some suitable interventions right away,” said Eugene C. Lai, M.D., Ph.D., the Robert W. Hervey Distinguished Endowed Chair for Parkinson’s Research and Treatment in the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology. “By mitigating and correcting the modifiable risk factors for undesirable outcomes immediately, we are able to improve outcomes and

see AI...page 13

Our next steps will be to implement the validated AI model into a mobile app for the ICU and main hospital staff to alert them to geriatric patients with dementia who are at high risk of poor hospitalization outcomes and to guide them on interventional steps to reduce such risks

Stephen T.C. Wong, Ph.D., P.E., Director of the T. T. and W. F. Chao Center for BRAIN at Houston Methodist

The Framework

MD Anderson Expands Breakthrough Research Campus with Groundbreaking of Innovative New Facility

$668 Million Investment Supports Construction of Inspiring, Functional Space To Anchor Institution’s Research Park

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center today broke ground on a 600,000-square-foot facility intended to anchor the institution’s expansive south campus research park. The building was purposefully built to enable collaborative science and impactful breakthrough discoveries that will accelerate efforts to end cancer.

A $668 million institutional investment will support the construction of MD Anderson’s South Campus Research Building 5 (SCRB5), a 7-story building designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects with state-of-the-art research facilities and inspiring public spaces to facilitate exceptional science. The facility, including a landscaped park conceived by Mikyoung Kim Design, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.

“The construction of our visionary new research building marks the beginning of our next chapter in Making Cancer History®,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “With input from hundreds of MD Anderson teammates, we have carefully designed this building and our research campus to foster collaboration, to stimulate creativity and to fuel breakthroughs that will improve the lives of patients here and around the globe.”

Located at 1920 Old Spanish Trail, SCRB5 will bring together MD Anderson scientists and researchers into one dynamic space to collectively share and advance their work. The new facility, an extension of the Texas Medical Center’s (TMC’s) Helix Park, will serve as a hub for collaboration across MD Anderson as well as the

entire TMC.

“This investment highlights our commitment to leading the world in cancer research, and I am proud to offer our talented researchers and future recruits the world’s finest facilities, environment, tools and technologies to support exceptional, high-impact science,” said Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at MD Anderson. “Our research environment fosters a culture of collaboration, connectivity and data-based science only possible here, and this new research facility will further enhance

new and exciting opportunities across our community.”

The institution’s unique research ecosystem is marked by seamless collaboration between scientists and clinicians, creating a virtuous cycle of breakthroughs. Discoveries from the lab fuel new efforts in the clinic, while insights from the clinic likewise inform research at the bench in real time. Innovative in both design and function, SCRB5 will feature flexible research areas as well as expansive core

MD Anderson breaks ground on South Campus Research Building 5.

Houston Physicians’ Hospital Performs Its 200th Essential Tremor Treatment Using Soundwaves

There are 200 fewer essential tremor sufferers since Houston Physicians’ Hospital, a leading surgical specialty hospital in Webster, Texas, began providing a soundwave treatment for the condition in 2021. The hospital announced today that it has completed its 200th procedure, which focuses intense ultrasound energy in the patient’s brain, heating a small area of tissue and alleviating essential tremor.

“Essential tremor is a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable shaking in the hands,” said Heather Womack, CEO, Houston

Physicians’ Hospital. “The condition can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life, making simple things like eating, drinking and writing very difficult. The procedure doesn’t require an incision or anesthesia, and patients see a reduction in tremors instantly.”

The Food and Drug Administration approved the procedure for use in treating a patient’s dominant hand in 2016, then in 2022 approved it for the nondominant hand. Patients who have had the procedure done for their dominant hand may now get treated for their nondominant hand, but must wait at

least nine months before undergoing their second procedure.

Many surgeons treat essential tremors using beta-blockers, anti-seizure medications, tranquilizers or Botox injections. More severe symptoms are treated with deep brain stimulation, wherein electrical leads are implanted in the thalamus, which coordinates muscle control. The magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound treatment is

incisionless and long lasting and takes only 90 minutes; the patient can leave the hospital the same day.

Aggie Nursing from Above

Former Student Soars to New Heights as Memorial Hermann Life Flight Nurse

The next time you see a Memorial Hermann Life Flight helicopter in the sky, Anne Voltin ’17, BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, EMT-P, may be on board, helping those most vulnerable.

The former Texas A&M University School of Nursing student always knew she wanted to be a nurse. Inspired by her father, class of 1984, Voltin set her sights on attending Texas A&M. After entering nursing school in 2015, she began honing her skills through various college jobs; she worked as a standardized patient at the Texas A&M Health Clinical Learning Resource Center, a personal caregiver with Comfort Keepers and a student employee with St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Upon graduation, Voltin accepted a job in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at St. Luke’s Health – Baylor St. Luke’s in the Texas Medical Center. She also took on a PRN, or as-needed, nursing position as an on-call home hospice nurse, continuing her passion

for home health she developed during her time at Comfort Keepers.

“St. Luke’s taught me so much,” said Voltin. “Their advanced work with heart failure exposed me to caring for ECMO, the Impella Ventricular Support System, IABP, LVAD, EKOS patients and many more. I had amazing coworkers, bosses and interdisciplinary teams that really invested in me and challenged what I thought was possible in medicine.”

In addition to Voltin ‘s inpatient work, she believes her extracurricular nursing experiences helped enhance her skills.

“Anyone can serve the community with their knowledge, and I highly recommend placing yourself in new situations,” she said. “There are so many opportunities. I volunteered as a nurse with the Houston Rodeo, worked finish line medical for the Houston Marathon and attended summer camps as a nurse. I was chosen to serve as the first aid lead for conferences with

3,000+ attendees, provided care in a small clinic serving immigrants here in Houston, traveled on medical missions to South America and more.”

In December 2022, Voltin accepted a position working with Memorial Hermann’s Life Flight air medical transport service team. No longer on the hospital floor, she flies on a helicopter to care for her patients. The Light Flight staff is made up of 21 pilots, 21 flight nurses, 18 paramedics, eight dispatchers and eight mechanics. Each helicopter carries a team of a pilot, nurse and paramedic.

Drawing from her bedside

experiences and volunteer nursing in the community, Voltin feels well-prepared to care for patients of all ages and conditions.

“Whether we pick the patient up from a field, a highway, an emergency room, an ICU or even an isolette with the NICU flight team, I have loved taking nursing to the skies. And yes, I wear my Aggie ring on every flight.”

Just before flight, a patient looked to Voltin and expressed they were no longer scared because they were flying with an Aggie nurse.

Anne Voltin ’17, BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, EMT-P Photo by Andrew Lieberman

Financial Forecast Federal Employees and Financial Planning

By Grace S. Yung, CFP Midtown Financial Group, LLC

Body There are things to consider when planning for your retirement as a federal employee. Besides planning an income stream for yourself, if you have dependents, you will need to explore the different options when making decisions on your benefits.

Understanding Your Federal Employee Benefits

There are many different categories of federal employees. These can include military personnel, as well as civilians who are employed at veterans’ hospitals and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), for example.

a full-time student, these benefits can continue until he or she reaches age 22.

If you are already retired, no monthly benefits are payable to your child(ren). However, they can instead receive any remaining retirement contributions in your plan, along with applicable interest.

For federal workers who pass away while they are still employed, a surviving spouse may be eligible for the Basic Employee Death Benefit, which is equal to 50% of your final salary, plus $15,000. The surviving spouse may also qualify for monthly survivor benefits if they are at least age 60 and had been married to you for at least nine months at the time of your passing.

The eligible spouse of a deceased federal employee who is under age 65 may also be able to receive monthly survivor income that is equal to 50% of your base monthly salary. However, the amount of this survivor income will

Federal employees are typically eligible for a variety of insurance and financial benefits, including:

Retirement Savings Plan

Pension

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Long-Term Care Insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

In addition to yourself, others who are dependent on you financially may also be covered via federal survivor benefits. These individuals could include a spouse, child(ren), and dependent parent(s).

For instance, if you are actively working and enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), monthly survivor annuity payments can be paid to your unmarried dependent children upon your death, until the child(ren) reaches age 18, marries, or passes away. If the child is

be reduced by any monthly survivor benefits that the spouse receives from Social Security.

The Importance of Beneficiary Designations

If you do not properly designate a beneficiary on your federal life insurance and/or retirement plan, these funds will be distributed according to the “order of precedence.” And this may or may not be the recipient(s) you had intended to receive these funds.

For instance, if there is not a valid beneficiary designation on file when you pass away, your federal group life insurance proceeds would be paid out in the following order:

To your widow(er)

If there is no widow(er), to your child or children in equal shares (with the share of any deceased child

see Financial Forecast ...page 13

Professional Science Master’s UNCONVENTIONAL Career Path

Susan G. Komen To Host Race for the Cure in Houston This Fall

Susan G. Komen, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, today announced it will host a Race for the Cure this fall. The Houston Race for the Cure will take place on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023.

The event will raise critical funds that support breast cancer patients, advance research, and provide patient navigation services to better serve those impacted by the disease.

“We look forward to welcoming runners and walkers to this event to make a difference in our fight against breast cancer,” said Kristen Barley, executive director at Susan G. Komen. “Being back in person for the second year in a row allows us to unite our community in this important mission and support the

people who need our help now.”

What: Houston Race for the Cure

When: Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, 7:45 AM; Gates Open at 6:00 AM

Where: Sam Houston Park, 1000 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002

Details: Register at komen.org/ houstonrace

This year’s Greater Houston Race for the Cure is made possible by the following sponsors: Local Presenting Sponsor Kroger along with Anosh Inc Foundation, Houston Methodist, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Enterprise, FORVIS, Greenwich Lifesciences, Kirby Inland Marine, LD Systems, Nabors, NOV, Oak Farms Dairy, Page, Shell and Smart Financial.

Continued from page 6

shorten their hospital stays.”

Lai, a neurologist, has worked for many years with these patients and wanted to look at ways to better understand how they’re managed and their behavior when hospitalized, so clinicians could improve care and quality of life for them. He approached Stephen T.C. Wong, Ph.D., P.E., a bioinformatics expert and Director of the T. T. and W. F. Chao Center for BRAIN at Houston Methodist, with this idea, because he had previously collaborated with Wong and knew his team had access to the large clinical data warehouse of Houston Methodist patients and the ability to use AI to

analyze big data.

Risk factors for each type of dementia were identified, including those amenable to interventions. Top identified hospitalization outcome risk factors included encephalopathy, number of medical problems at admission, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, falls, admission source, age, race and anemia, with several overlaps in multi-dementia groups.

Ultimately, the researchers aim to implement mitigation measures to guide clinical interventions to reduce these negative outcomes. Wong says the emerging strategy of applying powerful AI predictions to trigger the

Financial Forecast

Continued from page 11

being distributed among his or her descendants)

If there are no children, to your surviving parent(s)

If your parent(s) are no longer

alive, to the administrator or executor of your estate

If there is no executor or administrator, to the next of kin under the laws of the state where you resided at

implementation of “smart” clinical paths in hospitals is novel and will not only improve clinical outcomes and patient experiences, but also reduce hospitalization costs.

“Our next steps will be to implement the validated AI model into a mobile app for the ICU and main hospital staff to alert them to geriatric patients with dementia who are at high risk of poor hospitalization outcomes and to guide them on interventional steps to reduce such risks,” said Wong, the paper’s corresponding author and the John S. Dunn Presidential Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Engineering with the Houston Methodist Research Institute.

“We will work with hospital IT to integrate this app seamlessly into EPIC as part of a system-wide implementation for routine clinical use.”

He said this will follow the same smart clinical pathway strategy they have been working on to integrate two other novel AI apps his team developed into the EPIC system for routine clinical use to guide interventions that reduce the risk of patient falls with injuries and better assess breast cancer risk to reduce unnecessary biopsies and overdiagnoses.

the time of your passing.

This is the same order in which the retirement funds in your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) will be paid out.

Beneficiary designations is a vital

part of financial planning. With that in mind, working with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional can help you work towards a strong financial plan. 

3 Steps

Continued from page 1

recently begun to adopt measures to harness the remarkable potential of integrating behavioral health care to provide whole person care for their patients’ physical and mental health needs. In addition, CMS’s Behavioral Health Strategy emphasizes ongoing integration of behavioral health into primary care, continued emphasis on parity, and Medicaid reimbursement of inter-professional consultations.

Partnerships between behavioral and physical health providers can benefit both types of providers and pave the way for future opportunities for behavioral health care providers. By addressing behavioral health, physical health providers may be able to achieve incentives available under their value-based care or population health management arrangements with payors, particularly in the case of total cost of care models. In addition

Oncology Research

Continued from page 3 returned.

Biomarker testing is even more important in patients with advanced disease who have fewer therapeutic options. This approach empowers physicians and patients to make informed decisions, leading to improved outcomes and reduced healthcare expenses.

The Expansion of Biomarker Testing in Texas

The Framework

Continued from page 8

facilities, all incorporating the latest technologies to enable groundbreaking research. The building will be home to a number of MD Anderson’s strategic research programs, including the James P. Allison Institute.

Public spaces will include a restaurant, a conference center and different lecture environments. Collaboration is woven into all areas of the building, with places for scheduled discussions and unplanned exchanges throughout.

“Our research campus will serve as a collaborative hub of premier

to value-based incentives and bonuses, the recent addition of a new billing code for behavioral health integration (G0323) suggests that additional reimbursement may be available for behavioral health providers engaging in integration services. For behavioral health providers, partnering with physical health providers may provide a bridge to payors as the industry works to adapt to develop metrics and payment models that work for behavioral health care.

3. Negotiate Value-Based Care Contracts.

Finally, armed with data from an established infrastructure and experience from partnerships with physical health providers, behavioral health providers can seek to contract directly with payors. Health insurers have signaled increasing interest in providing behavioral health benefits as part of its value-based care programs. When entering into value-based arrangements, providers should ensure that the models recognize the

A new law took effect on Sept. 1, 2023, that expands access to biomarker testing in Texas to help connect cancer patients with therapies that are more targeted and effective, especially in cases of advanced disease.

Senate Bill 989 was signed into law on May 30, making Texas the 11th state to expand access to biomarker testing. It requires health insurance companies to cover biomarker testing, removing a major barrier for patients, who had to cover the cost of these tests out of pocket.

The new law requires coverage of biomarker testing in health benefit

cancer research around the world, gathering thousands of the top minds in the field into one block, all focused on a singular mission to end cancer,” said Philip Jones, Ph.D., vice president of Research Strategy and Operations at MD Anderson. “We’re pleased to witness the next step in our journey, and we look forward to the innovative ideas and groundbreaking discoveries that will come from this beautiful, dynamic space.”

Beyond the scientific facilities, the building also is designed to maximize sustainability and efficiency while optimizing the experience of those working within. The surrounding green spaces, connecting pathways, gathering spots and places for reflection and inspiration will set a new standard

ongoing challenges that are unique to behavioral health, are simple to track and execute, and have a significant enough benefit to drive adoption. Models should have sufficient flexibility to leverage activities that are not always independently reimbursed by payers — such as peer counseling or digital health — while also having a significant impact on the overall cost and outcomes of care provided to patients. Behavioral health providers should be prepared to invest for the long term.

plans delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2024. When Texans begin open enrollment for 2024, this bill ensures that public and private health insurers will cover the cost of biomarker testing for patients with cancer and other rare diseases.

With the passing of this bill and as precision medicine continues to evolve, more patients across Texas will have the opportunity to access this personalized, targeted, and effective treatment for their fight against cancer.

for other research institutions across the country.

As a leader in cancer research, MD Anderson is committed to supporting high-impact research across the spectrum of cancer science, including discovery, prevention, translational and clinical research. In the last fiscal year, MD Anderson invested $1.1 billion on research and had more projects funded by the National Cancer Institute than any other U.S. institution.

Understanding the importance of exceptional research as a driving force behind progress in its mission to end cancer, MD Anderson is proud to support World Cancer Research Day, Sept. 24., which calls for global efforts to promote cancer research in order to reduce the burden of this disease.