Sutter Health and Concert Health Announce Collaboration to Expand Access to High-Quality Behavioral Health Services through Primary Care

The health system will implement a Collaborative Care program with the help of Concert Health to support primary care providers in identifying and treating patients with behavioral health conditions.

SACRAMENTO & SAN DIEGO - Sutter Health today announced a new collaboration that will enhance behavioral health care services for patients by making treatment more timely and accessible. Beginning in January, Sutter will coordinate with Concert Health to co-manage treatment for patients who experience a broad range of behavioral health disorders, including anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. The service will initially be available to patients in four Northern California cities.

"Supporting improved access to mental health services is one of our top priorities here at Sutter," said Tam Nguyen, PhD, clinical psychologist and behavioral health service line executive at Sutter Health. "We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside like-minded organizations to help increase mental health treatment capacity and offer people an option that is easy to access. Making these services a routine part of medical care has been shown to improve both outcomes and the patient experience, so we're pleased to make this available through primary care."

Through this collaboration, patients who report a behavioral health concern to their primary care provider will be connected with Concert Health via phone or video within 24 to 48 hours to monitor symptoms and medications and provide evidence-based counseling interventions. With a focus on providing a holistic view of patient health, Concert Health's psychiatric providers will review patient cases regularly, provide feedback and guidance to the behavioral health team, and make specific treatment recommendations to the Sutter primary care providers.

To start, Concert Health will receive patient referrals from Sutter primary care practices located in Lakeport, Crescent City, Palo Alto, and Dublin, CA. The collaboration between Sutter and Concert Health is particularly important in rural Lakeport and Crescent City, where it is difficult to recruit and retain mental health providers, leaving patients with less access to care.

"This collaboration reinforces our commitment to delivering integrated, patient-centered care," said Dan Peterson, CEO of Sutter Health's behavioral health service line. "By embedding behavioral health into primary care settings, we can enhance access and deliver timely support for those in our care, addressing their physical and mental health needs together."

The collaboration between Sutter and Concert Health will use the Collaborative Care Model, an evidence-based approach designed to significantly improve access to mental health care. This team-based model integrates the expertise of primary care providers, psychiatric consultants, and behavioral care managers to support patients and manage treatment more effectively. The Collaborative Care Model has been shown to significantly improve clinical outcomes while reaching more people at scale.

"Millions of Americans urgently need mental health support, and the demand for affordable, accessible care has never been greater," said Dr. Anthony Sossong, Chief Medical Officer at Concert Health. "We're excited to collaborate with Sutter Health to help close the gap between physical and behavioral healthcare, helping increase patients' access to these essential services."

About Concert Health

Concert Health is building America's best and largest behavioral health platform. Through Collaborative Care, an evidence-based model for treating behavioral health conditions in primary care settings, Concert makes it easy for primary care and women's health physicians to deliver high-quality behavioral health care and improve clinical outcomes. Concert's turnkey behavioral health services, which include an expert clinical team and a powerful technology platform, are available through partnerships with medical groups and health systems. To learn more about Concert Health's approach, visit concerthealth.com.

Concert Health, Inc. is an administrative and managerial services company affiliated with several professional corporations that deliver medical services. Together, these organizations operate under the "Concert Health" brand.

About Sutter Health

Sutter Health is a not-for-profit healthcare system dedicated to providing comprehensive care throughout California. Committed to health equity, community partnerships, and innovative, high-quality patient care, Sutter Health is pursuing a bold new plan to reach more people and make excellent healthcare more connected and accessible. Currently serving nearly 3.5 million patients, thanks to our dedicated team of more than 57,000 employees and clinicians, and 12,000+ affiliated physicians, with a unified focus on expanding care to serve more patients.

Learn more about how Sutter Health is transforming healthcare at sutterhealth.org and vitals.sutterhealth.org.