Seeking behavioral healthcare can sometimes be challenging due to long wait times to see a provider. However, one revolutionary partnership is changing that for over 15 million members. GDBHT partner New Directions Behavioral Health has acquired Tridiuum, another GDBHT partner, creating a leading provider of technology-enabled behavioral health services. This partnership will decrease wait time, increase access to care, and improve quality of care. Shana Hoffman, President & CEO of New Directions Behavioral Health, and Mark Redlus, CEO of Tridiuum, spoke with me about their partnership. Read our exclusive interview here:

Shana, in your press release, you talked about how in your partnership with Tridiuum to date, the average speed for a patient to book a first appointment from initial screening was approximately four days. Why is that significant?

Shana: By integrating Tridiuum’s leading technology platform with our best-in-class care management team, we are able to immediately schedule members with our comprehensive network of behavioral health providers. In the behavioral health ecosystem, current average time to care sits at around 25 days, with some patients waiting over 90 days for their first appointment. Achieving an average time to care of just four days is game-changing for our members. With increased speed and ease of access, we are able to eliminate many of the barriers faced by individuals nationally, while expanding the number of untreated and undertreated members in care. More than 100 providers groups have joined this program already in its first phase, and we look forward to expanding our reach even further.

Mark, Tridiuum's technology and measurement based-care analytics will further enhance the quality that New Directions can provide members. Can you tell us more about why that is important?

Mark: At a time when the need for behavioral health services is incredibly high, this combination allows us to set a new standard of care. Our technology utilizes population analytics to enable value-based contracting and maximize network quality. Jointly, we will be providing users with real time information to support improved clinical decision making while also measuring quality of care. The result is accelerated access to the most appropriate care for New Directions’ members. At Tridiuum we’ve reimagined how to deliver timely care in the past, so to be able to do that again – and to now do so with the support of and in partnership with New Directions – is special.

Shana, how can the health plans you work with reap benefits from this new partnership?

Shana: It’s important to remember that Tridiuum’s technology is already used by nationally recognized medical and behavioral health plans. Likewise, at New Directions, we support our over 15 million members in partnership with health plans, employers and higher education institutions. By now fully integrating Tridiuum’s suite of solutions with our existing care navigation and human services capabilities, we will be able to together deliver even smarter outcomes at scale to both new and existing members. Our health plan partners will now be able to have access to Tridiuum’s products and New Directions services to replicate the experience we’ve already demonstrated with our customer Florida Blue. 

What excites you the most about this partnership?

Shana: One of the reasons why this is so exciting is that our two companies share similar missions. This became clear as I got to know Mark in recent months as we launched our partnership and worked to close this transaction. His passion and vision to advance behavioral health aligns with that of mine and New Directions. I look forward to together building a new path in behavioral health that will revolutionize access to quality care for all. 

For those who are interested in more information about our combined offering, please contact communications@NDBH.com.