In the shadows of our modern healthcare system lies a paradox: as medical technology advances at an unprecedented pace, millions still struggle to access basic care. Traditional healthcare delivery continues to exclude significant portions of our population, including rural patients who live hours away from the nearest specialist, wage workers juggling irregular schedules, and individuals whose health issues or financial circumstances place significant barriers between them and care the care they need. 

Similarly, despite advances in mental health treatment and growing social acceptance of seeking care, significant gaps persist in America's behavioral health system. In 2024, an estimated 57 million adults experience mental illness, yet only 45% receive treatment. This treatment gap represents not only a failure of healthcare delivery, but also a complex intersection of systemic barriers, including provider shortages, insurance limitations, stigma, and socioeconomic factors. 

A wave of innovation is emerging to bridge these gaps: mobile clinics equipped with AI-powered diagnostic tools, asynchronous telemedicine platforms that work around patients' schedules, and a proliferation of smart phone apps for diagnosing and treating mental illness. As digital health technologies and innovative care models rise, addressing the gaps between care and those who need it becomes increasingly crucial for healthcare leaders, policymakers, and technologists working to transform healthcare access and delivery. The key to success lies not just in the technology itself, but in a deeper understanding of the behavioral barriers that prevent people from seeking and receiving care. 

Nexus by Nomi Health combines the empathy of live visits with the hyper-efficiency, convenience, and computational power of AI, data analytics, and other technological innovations to reach those marginalized by our healthcare system. This hybrid approach ensures that technological advancements enhance rather than replace the fundamental human elements that make health interventions successful. Sara Ratner, President of Integrated Programs at Nomi Health, articulates the advantages of this approach: “It’s not about replacing human care with technology, but rather embracing it so that human interaction remains central to care delivery.” Technological innovations arm health providers with tools to reach those who need care; as providers embrace technology, patients who historically fall through the cracks of the healthcare system receive the wrap-around care they need to heal and thrive. 

Nexus has found success applying innovation to address two of the major barriers with gaps in behavioral- and health- care. 

‍Problem 1: Reaching the unreachable

Many patients slip through healthcare's safety net not due to a lack of available services, but because they are simply hard to reach. These low-contact individuals may have unstable housing situations, frequently changing phone numbers, limited internet access, or atypical schedules that make it difficult to maintain consistent communication with healthcare providers. When medical staff can't reliably contact patients to schedule follow-up appointments, confirm medication changes, or check on concerning symptoms, preventable health issues can escalate into serious conditions requiring emergency intervention. Without dependable ways to reach these vulnerable patients, healthcare systems struggle to provide the consistent, coordinated care needed to support long-term health management and recovery. In the end, the whole system suffers as treatable care turns into serious problems that require more extensive, expensive treatment. 

‍Innovative Solutions:

Closing gaps in patient engagement requires a proactive approach and is one of the key focus areas of our Nexus program. We partner with healthcare systems, payers, and organizations to help find and begin care for missing patients. These organizations provide us with a list of their hard-to-reach patients, and we execute a multi-pronged approach to contact these individuals and provide them with the care they need. First, we use our data append program to verify and update existing contact information. We have seen a 70% improvement in data quality with our partners since running our program. Second, we use a variety of methods such as email, phone calls, and text messages to reach out to these patients. Third, once we’ve made contact, we connect patients immediately with one of our providers to provide wellness visits, triage any emergent issues they have, and connect them to the local resources they need. We then share the updated patient information back with the payer to ensure their patient information is up to date. 

‍Problem 2: Access

Healthcare access barriers continue to present significant challenges for patients seeking behavioral health treatment. Transportation limitations, particularly in rural areas where health providers are scarce, force many patients to choose between hours-long commutes or foregoing treatment entirely. The complexity of insurance networks and referral systems can leave patients navigating a labyrinth of paperwork and phone calls, often while managing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or other conditions that make such tasks especially daunting. For those who work jobs or who care for family members, the rigid scheduling of traditional practice hours presents another hurdle, as taking time off for appointments may mean lost wages or complicated childcare arrangements. Even when virtual care options are available, unreliable internet access and limited technological literacy can prevent patients from successfully connecting with providers.

Innovative Solutions:

Bringing care to patients when and how they need it increases patient engagement and helps reduce the barriers to care. Nexus leverages Videra, an AI powered application, to engage patients with mental and behavioral health needs. The program encourages patients to complete mental health assessments and provides real-time analytics to their medical providers. Users can choose to participate via video, audio only, or through chat. Videra then shares the assessment scores with the patient and with Nexus, helps identify possible care pathways, and offers options for treatment such as scheduling a telehealth appointment, scheduling an appointment for in-person care, or connecting with a live provider immediately. In this way, patients can participate when it is most convenient for them, in their preferred mode, and from the comfort of their own home. The AI also helps Nexus and their partners identify patients who need intervention; providers can follow up with these patients, offering them appropriate support and contact to help them thrive. In one instance of this program, 4,000 participants reached out for care and the healthcare organization saw a 64% reduction in crisis alerts.

Conclusion

As healthcare organizations strive to bridge the persistent gaps in healthcare, the path forward lies in thoughtfully combining technological innovation with human-centered care delivery. Nexus by Nomi Health demonstrates how this hybrid approach can effectively address two critical challenges: reaching low-contact individuals who have fallen through the cracks of the healthcare system and breaking down traditional barriers to access. Through strategic deployment of AI-powered tools like Videra, multi-pronged patient outreach, and flexible care delivery options, organizations can significantly improve patient engagement while maintaining the crucial human connection at the heart of healthcare. Our results suggest that when technology is used to enhance rather than replace human interaction, healthcare systems can successfully extend their reach to traditionally underserved populations while maintaining high patient satisfaction. As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, this balanced approach to innovation offers a promising model for creating more accessible, efficient, and compassionate care delivery systems.

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Nexus by Nomi Health partners with healthcare organizations to transform healthcare access. Our end-to-end solution streamlines the process from patient engagement to care delivery, and our proprietary data analytics platform tracks outcomes to ensure success. Learn more at nomihealth.com/business/integrated-programs

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