OPEN MINDS & Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. Release Social Determinants Of Health Webinar Focusing On How It Impacts Health Plan Strategy
GETTYSBURG, PA. (May 18, 2025) — OPEN MINDS and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. have just released a webinar on How Social Determinants Of Health Are Shaping Health Plan Strategies For Whole Person Care.
The past year has seen significant changes in the policy and practices addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) of health plan members. On the policy side, there have been significant changes at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in using a broader array of team members to serve Medicare and Medicaid consumers. And, in response to new CMS guidance, many state Medicaid plans and Medicaid health plans can now pay for a broader range of social services1. The question is how are these policy changes affecting health plan coverage and reimbursement practices?
“There are some very unique challenges facing people with serious mental illness at the intersection of SDOH, said Margaret Mays,” Ph.D., Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS. “Health plans are exploring ways to address these challenges up front rather than wait to respond after crisis.”
This webinar focuses on the effects of the recent changes at CMS and the state-specific changes to Medicaid health plans on serving the consumer population with mental illness. In addition to the perspectives of the health plan executive panel, the webinar includes related health plan survey data from the Trends In Behavioral Health Series2.
Listen to this fireside chat with our experts to learn more about how policy changes are causing the creation of new and innovative models for serving consumers with complex needs.
Featuring:
Sharon Hicks, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS*
Margaret Mays, Ph.D., Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS*
Madeline Shurtleff, Managed Market Liaison, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc*
References:
- Otsuka Market Access. (2024, August 6). Trends in Behavioral Health: A Reference Guide on the US behavioral health financing & delivery system, 4th Edition. OPEN MINDS. https://trends.openminds.com/
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Social drivers of health and health-related social needs. CMS.gov. https://www.cms.gov/priorities/innovation/key-concepts/social-drivers-health-and-health-related-social-needs
The Trends In Behavioral Health Series is made available free of charge on its own website by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. as a unique contribution to help set higher standards for behavioral health policy and practice driven by the health plan perspective.
About OPEN MINDS
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the markets of the health and human service field that serve consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. OPEN MINDS mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, and technology and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
For more information about OPEN MINDS’ management support expertise, go to https://openminds.com/about/
About The Trends Guide
Trends in Behavioral Health: A Reference Guide on the U.S. Behavioral Health Financing & Delivery System (The Trends Guide) provides information and insights into the multi-layered United States behavioral health system. The Trends Guide includes an in-depth view of current statistics, prevailing issues, and emerging trends in order to inform the discussions, debates and decision-making of policymakers, payers, providers, advocates and consumers. The Trends Guide addresses current behavioral health care trends topics, including:
- A look at the national policy that is shaping the U.S. health and human services market.
- A view of the state behavioral health delivery systems that were created by a combination of historical practices, federal and state policy, and market factors over recent years.
- An examination of the practices of health plans that manage both physical and behavioral health care for the vast majority of the U.S. population.
- A deep dive into behavioral health care access and delivery of care from the consumer perspective.
For additional questions and inquiries, please contact Murray Beachtel, Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS at 717-334-1329 or openminds@openminds.com.
*Margaret Mays and Sharon Hicks are paid consultants of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). Madeline Shurtleff is an employee of OAPI.
© Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. All rights reserved. April 2025 00US25EUA0006