Vitalic announced the launch of its signature geriatric behavioural health care platform. This specialised practice tool focuses on treating a vulnerable and often overlooked older population who needs mental health care that proactively reinforces physical health and overall wellbeing. Vitalic’s model is led by geriatric psychiatry and also includes therapy, coaching, and medication management. Entering the market with one of the nation’s largest home- and community-based health care nonprofits, payer/provider VNS Health, Vitalic improves member outcomes and reduces total cost of care for Medicare Advantage Plans and risk-based providers.

The senior population faces unique behavioural health treatment challenges. While 25% of adults age 65+ suffer from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, 63% of that group does not receive sufficient treatment. Ageism and mental health stigma compound the issue, negatively impacting well-being while making seniors reluctant to seek care, leading to $63B in additional healthcare costs. 

To improve geriatric health outcomes and reduce total cost of care, Medicare Advantage payers must find a way to provide greater engagement and access to specialised behavioural health for these members. Older adults with untreated mental health conditions cost payors more than three times as much compared to those without behavioural health issues. Unfortunately, more than 95% of this spend goes toward treating chronic medical conditions that do not address the underlying behavioural health issues that affect patient health status and ehaviors. Misdiagnosis, drug interactions, and bias lead to medication and care plan adherence issues, resulting in poor health and increased costs. Co-occurring behavioural health issues must be addressed or these issues will continue to worsen. 

Using a proprietary engagement model, Vitalic works with payors to identify high-cost, polychronic members with untreated behavioural health challenges and then reaches out directly to enrol them in a proven care model that fits their individual needs. With VNS Health, Vitalic aims to boost patient satisfaction, close critical care gaps, decrease unnecessary utilisation, and reduce the total cost of care.

Vitalic’s team-based clinical model deploys geriatric-trained behavioural health specialists, including geriatric boarded psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed therapists, and mental health support coaches. This effective approach coordinates with a patient’s medical healthcare providers to enhance self-care, emotional well-being, and medication adherence. 

“Despite the fact that this population continues to grow, targeted efforts to address seniors’ specific needs and impact on the healthcare industry have been too small and fallen far short,” said Ben Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Vitalic. “Our team-based approach supports patients through challenges including medication management, behavioural issues, and psychosocial struggles. Through our work with VNS Health, we’re changing the dynamic of geriatric behavioural health care for patients and payors using a proven model that addresses the pressing needs of both stakeholders.” 

Vitalic’s services address the full spectrum of behavioural health needs, including:

• Specialised geriatric treatment. Providers are trained in older adult issues and senior-specialised interventions and care, rapidly improving outcomes while avoiding care mismanagement due to bias, misdiagnosis, or complexity.
• Team-based care. A curated collaboration between behavioural health professionals trained to work with older adults means Vitalic delivers evidence-based interventions that address the unique needs of seniors with polychronic conditions.
• Proactive patient engagement. A proprietary platform combines risk stratification and AI/ML-based analytics to identify high-risk members. Vitalic then applies predictive modelling to engage patients in the program, while intuitive telehealth, secure chat, and personalised content increase participation at scale. 

“Every day, our skilled clinical teams overcome enormous challenges in delivering high-quality patient and member care to older adults with complex, complicated care needs. Vitalic empowers them with senior-focused expertise to directly transform key barriers standing between these members and their best possible health,” said Dan Savitt, president and CEO of VNS Health. “Vitalic’s innovation and expertise in behavioural health, the most overlooked element of whole-person care, allow us to provide specialised mental health care not previously accessible to our members while reducing the total cost of care.”