Category: Sponsored

Recognizing the need for increased services and support for children and teens, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center offers numerous treatment options for those ages 5 to 17, ranging from inpatient, intensive outpatient and telehealth treatment.

Behavioral health care is in desperate need in this country. The numbers of those facing mental illness were climbing before the pandemic hit and COVID-19 exacerbated the situation, creating a mental health crisis in the United States and around the world. Unfortunately, statistics show that there is only one behavioral health provider for every 350 Americans.

Some of the hardest hit by the mental health crisis are our youth. In the U.S., more than 2.7 million children and teens are living with severe major depression and more than 16% have had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. Even more disturbing is the reality that 60% of youth with major depression receive no mental health treatment.

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center recognized the need for increased services and support for children and teens. The hospital offers numerous treatment options for those ages 5 to 17, ranging from inpatient, intensive outpatient and telehealth treatment. The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth was created during the pandemic to serve the needs of at-risk youth ages 13-17 who face specialized challenges that need to be addressed to ensure their success at home and at school.

Bergen New Bridge offers inpatient, intensive outpatient, recovery programs and support for those facing substance abuse disorders, with expanded and enhanced medication-assisted treatment and withdrawal management at the hospital.

One of the newest services the Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth provides is eating disorder treatment. During the pandemic, some teens turned to disordered eating to gain a feeling of control over their lives at a time when everything seemed so out of control. The Medical Center also established the Center for Eating Disorders and Body Positivity to help adults suffering from eating disorders.

Substance use disorders also were on the rise before the pandemic and skyrocketed as people were told to stay home to limit exposure to COVID-19. The medical center worked to keep the doors open for both substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs, both in person and virtually. Bergen New Bridge offers inpatient, intensive outpatient, recovery programs and support. Dr Anthony Accurso joined the medical center as the medical director of Addiction Medicine and has expanded and enhanced both medication-assisted treatment and withdrawal management at the hospital.

The medical center’s mission is to deliver all the high-quality health care services people need, when and where they need it. While the center serves those who need behavioral health treatment and support, it can also offer them comprehensive care. Bergen New Bridge provides not only high-quality primary care through its Ambulatory Care Center, satellite locations and CareRite Now centers, it also provides more than 25 different specialty care services including cardiology, hepatology and oncology.

It has never been more important to take a holistic approach to both one’s mental and physical health. Without mental health, there is no health. Conversely, being in poor physical health can exacerbate mental health issues. Bergen New Bridge encourages everyone to invest in their physical and mental health. Call 201-225-7130 for an appointment with a primary or specialty care providers. Call the Access Center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for behavioral health services at 800-730-2762. Bergen New Bridge can provide all the care needed, when and where it’s needed.

Clinicians who embark on a career in primary care sign on to play many roles — diagnostician, confidant, care team coordinator, prescriber of therapies, provider of education, performer of in-office procedures and more.

Unfortunately, these physicians often have their days filled up and their spirits tested by other roles they never sought: data analyst, accountant and small business owner managing cash flow, all while waiting for quality-care payments owed for services provided months or even years earlier.

Created to avoid such situations, Hoboken-based Vytalize Health is a physician-founded accountable care organization (ACO) that allows primary care providers to focus on and flourish in the roles they chose — which enhances their patients’ physical health, their own emotional health and their practices’ financial health.

“When physicians and advanced practice providers are freed up to do what they do best — take care of patients — good things happen,” said Internist Amer Alnajar, MD, who co-founded Vytalize Health with Faris Ghawi, MBA. “When those clinicians’ efforts are supported by a team providing virtual care, in-home care, care coordination and data analysis, such as we do at Vytalize Health — good clinical outcomes are accompanied by strong financial performance.

“As physicians, we all strive to practice evidence-based medicine. We should bring the same data-driven mindset to managing our practices. That is the approach we took when we started Vytalize Health in 2014, and it has enabled us to develop a care delivery model that has transformed the health care experience for more than 250,000 Medicare beneficiaries across 36 states,” Dr. Alnajar added. “Just as importantly, and very much by design, our approach has transformed the health care-provision experience for those patients’ 3,000-plus providers.”

The physician pointed out that practices that have engaged with Vytalize Health have achieved a 41% reduction in emergency department (ED) utilization, 38% reduction in hospital admissions, 17% increase in patient retention and 9% cost savings, which are shared with clinicians.

This New Jersey-based ACO enhances patient health, clinician well-being and practice finances in five important ways.

Receiving shared-savings payments now, not later

“Just as physicians do at a new patient’s first visit, when we began developing our ACO, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation to identify various issues that needed to be addressed. And in talking with providers, we heard a host of complaints, from the burdens that a siloed health system places on the individual practitioner trying to provide comprehensive care to the desire to maintain independence in a rapidly consolidating health care environment,” said Ghawi, who worked as an international business consultant before co-founding Vytalize with Dr. Alnajar. “But another major problem that came up time and again was how long physicians had to wait to receive payments for providing value-based care. The clinician had provided excellent care, and the patient had benefited, but months went by before the accountable care organization, integrated delivery network, or other entity shared the resultant cost savings with the clinician. We determined from the outset that we were going to be different.”

Vytalize Health does not achieve and share such savings by limiting care: Vytalize patients see their primary care provider 78% more than the average Medicare beneficiary — and providers have three times more time to spend with each patient compared to national norms for office encounters. This enables more effective management of chronic conditions and prompt identification and treatment of any new health issues, which ultimately decreases costs, Dr. Alnajar explained.

“With Vytalize, the primary care provider retains his or her independence and remains the point person for the patient’s care, but we support that clinician with a wide array of services to enhance care,” the internist noted, explaining that those services include:

• Virtual and in-home clinics to support patient care between office visits.
• Identification of care gaps and actionable insights by analyzing clinical notes, claims, social determinants of health data, and hospital feeds.
• Integration with high-performing systems of care, including hospitals, specialists and ancillary care providers for end-to-end care management.

“In 2018, we took our successful clinical model and paired it with a very effective business model. This enables us to share the cost savings we generate for Medicare with our physician partners,” Ghawi said. “In addition, we continued to enhance the clinical model, so that today our multidisciplinary clinical team serves as an extension of each physician to design custom-tailored care plans for each of their Medicare patients that are proven to prevent and reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life.”

5 benefits of joining an ACO — and choosing Vytalize Health

“There are five main reasons for primary care providers to join an ACO,” Dr. Alnajar said. “I’m proud to say that in each of those areas, Vytalize Health meets providers’ needs in a way that exceeds what other accountable care organizations can offer them.”

Those reasons — and the Vytalize differentiator for each — are to:

1. Improve patient outcomes. “The 41% reduction in ED utilization and 38% reduction in hospital admissions that we’ve achieved are just two of many indices of the enhanced outcomes Vytalize Health clinicians are able to achieve by drawing on the support and data we provide,” Dr. Alnajar noted.
2. Increase revenue and reduce costs. “Unlike the old fee-for-service model, clinicians today earn revenue by providing value-based care that meets patients’ needs while avoiding unnecessary steps and costs. In this model, revenues increase when wasteful spending is avoided,” the physician added.
3. Maintain independence. “Partnering with an ACO offers many advantages over selling your practice to a hospital or being employed by an integrated delivery network,” the internist said. “At Vytalize Health, we recognize that this is a top priority for many physicians, and we structure our working relationships to respect practitioner autonomy.”
4. Access cutting-edge resources. “Our data analytics are a powerful tool for clinical decision-making and help drive optimal outcomes,” the Vytalize co-founder explained.
5. Benefit from increased collaboration. “By providing virtual and even in-home care, when necessary, and by connecting primary care providers with high-performing specialists and ancillary care providers, we enable primary care providers to give their patients comprehensive care while protecting those physicians from excessive hours and burnout,” Dr. Alnajar added.

“It’s been a great addition to our system. It helps me monitor patients, what they need, what they have, what to look for. It also keeps us on track and making sure we’re doing everything that we need to do, allowing the patient to have the best quality of care possible. Vytalize improves our system tenfold.”

— Dr. Ruben De Los Santos

Time for a chat?

“In medicine, as in life, asking the right questions is key to getting the right answers and making the best decisions,” Dr. Alnajar said. “I would urge my colleagues who are interested in learning more about Vytalize Health and the benefits it offers their patients and practices to schedule a 15-minute confidential call with our team.”

Primary care providers seeking to arrange a call with Vytalize Health can do so by visiting info.vytalizehealth.com/our-program.

“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently set a goal of having all traditional Medicare beneficiaries participate in an ACO by 2030,” Ghawi noted. “Now is the time to get out in front of that trend by partnering with an organization that respects your autonomy, enables you to focus on patient care, provides the support you need and lets you share in the cost savings that you generate now — not later.”

Vytalize Health – By the Numbers:

What makes Vytalize Health different from other ACOs

Vytalize enables primary care providers to do what they do best — treat patients — and gives them the time and resources they need to treat their patients in a way that closes care gaps and enhances outcomes. The table below details how Vytalize’s division of responsibilities differs from that of other ACOs — to the benefit of both patients and clinicians.

Learn more about Vytalize Health: Visit info.vytalizehealth.com/our-program.

Patient education is key at University Reproductive Associates, where keeping patients well-informed about their treatment plan and their realistic chances of success goes a long way toward alleviating some of their emotional stress.

 University Reproductive Associates’ Dr. Adam Fechner shares how URA’s focus on its patients’ physical and mental health leads to enhanced patient experiences and outcomes.

For the estimated one in eight American couples who struggle with infertility, the experience can be fraught with anxiety, fear, confusion, guilt, shame and a range of other emotions that can strain a couple’s relationship and potentially even set back their chances of pregnancy success. For that reason, a fertility practice that not only addresses its patients’ medical needs but their emotional and mental health needs as well can enhance these patients’ comfort, confidence and chances of a successful outcome.

In the following interview, Adam Fechner, MD, board-certified OB/GYN at Hasbrouck Heights-based University Reproductive Associates (URA), discusses the emotional roller coaster infertile couples can experience and how URA works to support both its patients’ physical and emotional needs.

How can infertility impact a patient’s mental health?

Adam Fechner, MD, board-certified OB/GYN at University Reproductive Associates (URA)

Dr. Fechner: Before they even come to us, most patients have been trying for months or years to get pregnant, so it’s been something they’ve wanted for a long time but have been unable to achieve. Most women are conscious of the fact that the older they get, the harder the process gets, and the continued passage of time without success and cumulative impact of that disappointment can trigger anxiety and/or depression, especially if they were predisposed to that before, and cause or exacerbate relationship issues. In addition, while society is talking about infertility more than ever before, there’s still a stigma around it and some people dealing with infertility can become withdrawn as they watch their friends or relatives having children and celebrating baby showers and birthday parties.

Can those emotions negatively impact a patient’s fertility success?

Dr. Fechner: For most women, moderate stress levels would not adversely affect their chance of getting pregnant. Stress certainly doesn’t help the situation, but we can’t really say that’s the reason someone isn’t conceiving. However, if stress becomes so severe that it causes a woman to lose her menstrual cycle, that can certainly be a reason she would have difficulty getting pregnant.

In addition to the broad range of leading-edge fertility treatments it offers, how does URA prioritize its patients’ overall well-being on their fertility journey?

Dr. Fechner: Patient education is key at URA — keeping our patients well-informed about their treatment plan and their realistic chances of success goes a long way toward alleviating some of their anxiety. We let them know what to expect and the possible outcomes and are available during their cycle to discuss anything with them or answer any questions. Our practice takes a team approach to patients and provides support at all levels — from our physicians to our nurses, medical assistants and other support staff, we’re all involved in walking patients through the ins and outs of treatments, monitoring them, and being compassionate and empathetic. What sets us apart at URA is that we work as a team, provide truly personalized care to our patients and are all heavily invested in their outcome.

Prioritizing patients’ mental health as much as their physical health, University Reproductive Associates’ uniquely personalized approach extends not just to medical care, but also to the emotional support provided to patients.

What advice can you offer to help people preserve their mental health and remain emotionally strong during a fertility journey?

Dr. Fechner: Having people you can talk to openly and honestly about the experience — such as a supportive partner or friends or family members who have gone through it — can help, and online support groups such as Resolve.org (the mental health arm of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine) and our URA Facebook group for current patients (launched by a former URA patient) can also be beneficial. Because knowledge is power, we encourage patients to arm themselves with information; for those experiencing infertility, there’s no harm in a woman or couple getting tested to evaluate their medical situation and chances of getting pregnant so that they can make an informed decision. For individuals trying to get pregnant on their own or undergoing fertility treatment, we often advise them “not to act pregnant until you’re actually pregnant.” For example, people often start cutting out things like high-impact exercise, caffeine, alcohol, etc. thinking that it will help their chances; we want to increase their chance of a healthy pregnancy, but we still want people to feel normal and do things they enjoy. Finally, we want people struggling with infertility to have hope — there’s a lot we can do to help a woman get pregnant and build a family. For many patients, undergoing the testing, having a plan, initiating care and knowing that they’re in URA’s capable hands is a weight off their shoulders and provides the comfort and assurance that they’re doing everything they can.

What final messages can you share about URA’s focus on the whole patient and the importance it places on their mental health?

Dr. Fechner: We want healthy, happy families and understand that it’s not always an easy process. For this reason, we try to make it as comfortable as possible for our patients and prioritize their mental health as much as their physical health. Our uniquely personalized approach extends not just to medical care, but also to the emotional support we give our patients.

For More Information

With locations in Hasbrouck Heights, Hoboken and Wayne, University Reproductive Associates has been helping patients complete their journey to a joyful pregnancy for more than three decades. For more information, call 201-288-6330 or visit uranj.com.