The American Hospital Association (AHA) is launching a challenge, calling on industry innovators to disrupt the field of behavioral healthcare.
AHA officials point out that one in every five American adults are living with a behavioral health disorder, and roughly half of these people don’t receive treatment. They ask: How should the healthcare field respond? What can be done to improve access and affordability?
As such, the 2020 AHA Innovation Challenge aims to disrupt behavioral healthcare; inspire new strategies and test bold ideas that will make it easier for people living with psychiatric or substance use disorders obtain and afford proper treatment; and shatter the stigma commonly associated with behavioral health conditions and change lives for the better, officials noted.
The challenge is open to all American Hospital Association members and their partners. The top three proposals will receive $100,000, $25,000 and $15,000 to help bring the winning ideas to reality. Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria: increasing access, reducing costs and improving health outcomes.
"Hospitals and health systems are a hotbed for innovative ideas for transforming health care," said Jay Bhatt, D.O., AHA senior vice president and chief medical officer. "This year’s challenge is an opportunity to combine human compassion with innovative thinking to improve behavioral health care and save lives.”
Lori Dennis, senior vice president, First American Health Care Finance, added, “The U.S. spends an estimated $201 billion on mental illness, making it among the costliest health conditions in the country. We’re proud to support innovation breakthroughs in behavioral health care by unlocking financial support hospitals and health systems need to address barriers at every stage of innovation and advance treatment.”
The deadline to submit applications is May 15, 2020. Award recipients will be honored at the AHA Leadership Summit July 19-21 in San Diego.
