Behavioral Health Business

The Business Case for Gambling Addiction Treatment

Aging Media Network — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:18:36 +0000

On today's BHB Perspectives podcast, we are joined by three industry insiders to explore the business case of gambling addiction treatment.

In an age where anyone can now gamble on just about anything, the expert panel assembled by BHB explores why swifter action by the industry is called for, what it takes to meet a new generation of problem gambling and how such a treatment fits into the ever-evolving behavioral health industry.

You will hear from:

— Rebecca Schechter, Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Co.

— Andrew DiGiacomo, Senior Vice President of Strategy for Birches Health

— Youssef Kalad, Principal at AlleyCorps

Hosted by Chris Larson, associate editor for Behavioral Health Business, this podcast seeks to move beyond the headlines and connect a pressing topic to the work of behavioral health executives. Tune in now!

Erik Cardenas, Co-Founder & CEO, Zócalo Health

Aging Media Network — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:42:38 +0000

Welcome to the Perspectives podcast, from Behavioral Health Business! Joining us today is Erik Cardenas, Co-Founder & CEO of Zócalo Health, a Latinx-founded and -focused provider of behavioral health and primary care for patients in California, Texas, Washington and soon Maryland.

It has been well documented that the recent deaths and raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency across the country have taken a toll on many communities. Zócalo’s clinicians and community health workers have witnessed a dramatic rise in anxiety, depression, and care avoidance tied to fear of raids and detention, with three in four of their patients now screening positive for moderate to severe depression.

In this discussion with BHB reporter Ashleigh Hollowell, Cardenas shares his perspective on how he has scaled Zocalo during a tumultuous time — balancing risks, workforce recruitment and retention and working with specific patient populations in crises and beyond.

Tune in now!

Derek Crain, CEO, and Jessica Crain, COO, Mindful Therapy Group

Aging Media Network — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 21:27:43 +0000

In today's episode of the PERSPECTIVES podcast, Behavioral Health Business talks to Derek and Jessica Crain, the husband-and-wife duo behind Mindful Therapy Group, as they discuss their journey from a single private practice to a multi-state organization supporting over 2,300 providers.

Derek, CEO, and Jessica, COO, reveal how they successfully scaled into five states while maintaining notable provider retention. Tune in to explore the future of behavioral health, from navigating the shifting demands of insurance payers to the ethical integration of AI in the therapist's office.

Join us!

John Driscoll, CEO, Caron

Aging Media Network — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:27:55 +0000

In this episode of Behavioral Health Business Perspectives, BHB Senior Editor Laura Lovett sits down with John Driscoll, CEO of addiction treatment provider Caron.

Tune in to hear more about the future of addiction care in 2026. Highlights from the conversation including:

How providers are looking to treat substance use disorders as a brain disease
The rise of intermediate levels of care
Why luxury rehab isn’t dying anytime soon
And more!

Jenna Kokoski (M.Ed., BCBA), Chief Operating Officer, Jade Health

Aging Media Network — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:32:44 +0000

Joining us on today’s sponsored episode of Perspectives from Behavioral Health Business is Jenna Kokoski (M.Ed., BCBA), Chief Operating Officer, Jade Health, which delivers the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence Accreditation, or BHCOE.

In this podcast, Jenna and BHB's Jack Silverstein discuss the growing role of accreditation in applied behavior analysis services, and how BHCOE Accreditation has become the leading benchmark in the field.

Don’t miss this exciting episode!

Peter Lynch, Associate Partner, Stoneridge Partners

Aging Media Network — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 20:31:37 +0000

In today's episode of the PERSPECTIVES podcast, Behavioral Health Business sat down with Peter Lynch, Associate Partner of Stoneridge Partners, which manages complex transactions in the behavioral space and other areas of health care. In this episode, Peter and BHB reporter Ashleigh Hollowell reflect on market dynamics from Q3, 2025 M&A trends across the behavioral health space and expectations providers should carry into their 2026 strategies.

They also touch on how the midterm elections could impact dealmaking in the sector. Listen to the episode and subscribe today!

Dr. Rupert McCormac, CEO, Crossroads Treatment Centers

Aging Media Network — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 21:56:29 +0000

Substance use disorder provider Crossroads Treatment Centers has been quickly expanding. The provider, which operates more than 50 treatment centers across the country, announced a new M&A over the summer and plans for expansion continue.

Behavioral Health Business sat down with Crossroads CEO Rupert McCormac to dive into the organization’s growth strategy, navigating the changing regulatory landscape and the shift to value-based care. Tune in now!

Khaled Nasr, COO, Medely

Aging Media Network — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:33:25 +0000

Joining us on this episode of Perspectives, the Behavioral Health Business podcast, is Khaled Nasr, COO of Medely, the largest labor Marketplace for short and long term health care jobs. In this episode, we discuss Medely’s incredible story of bringing a 98% fill rate to an Arizona recovery center, as Nasr breaks down the ins and outs of how they helped achieve that figure. He also looks ahead and shares what’s next for Medely. Tune in now!

Carter Barnhart, CEO, Charlie Health

Aging Media Network — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 14:07:21 +0000

In today's episode of Perspectives, BHB sits down with Carter Barnhart, CEO of virtual high-acuity behavioral health provider Charlie Health, to explore the evolving landscape of virtual Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs) for high-acuity adolescents and adults. Barnhart shares how Charlie Health leverages technology to expand access and remove barriers to behavioral health care, the challenges of scaling a virtual model, how payers are responding to this growing modality and where things might be headed for virtual IOPs in the future. The conversation also explores: – How virtual IOPs maintain personalization and cultural competence – What’s driving payer pushback and how providers are adapting – The role of AI in the future of care – Common misconceptions about virtual behavioral health – And more!

Javier Favela, Vice President and Market & Segment Leader, NextGen Healthcare

Aging Media Network — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 21:33:56 +0000

Joining us on this episode of Perspectives, the Behavioral Health Business podcast, is Javier Favela, Vice President and Market & Segment Leader at NextGen Healthcare. In this episode, we explore how augmented intelligence (AI) is transforming the behavioral health care landscape, as Favela discusses the evolution of AI from static data capture to voice-driven, insight-rich experiences. Listeners will gain insight into how AI is being embedded throughout the patient journey — from assessment to post-visit follow-up — and why integrated, outcome-focused implementation is key to success. Today's conversation highlights practical use cases, lessons learned, and a future where AI becomes a seamless assistant in everyday clinical workflows. Tune in now!

John Peloquin, CEO & President, Discovery Behavioral Health

Aging Media Network — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 13:30:21 +0000

Behavioral Health Business Senior Reporter chats with Discovery Behavioral Health CEO and President John Peloquin. They explore critical evolutions in the payer-provider dynamic, measuring care outcomes at scale and other critical developments in the behavioral health industry. Listen in to learn more about: — The power and importance of EHRs — The need to approach communities as they are — Looming potential changes to Medicaid — And so much more! Subscribe to never miss an episode!

Kristian Ranta, CEO and Founder, Meru Health, and Jason Youngblood, Senior Director, Cigna

Aging Media Network — Mon, 19 May 2025 14:40:09 +0000

The newest episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is out! In this episode, BHB sits down with Jason Youngblood, senior director of behavioral account management and sales operations at Cigna, and Kristian Ranta, CEO and founder of Meru Health. During the conversation, Ranta and Youngblood discuss the biggest issues in behavioral health, including care access and quality, what health plans want in a behavioral health partner, and the latest reimbursement trends. Listen to the podcast to learn all about: – What quality care means to payers and providers – The future of the behavioral health industry – Common misconceptions about contracting with payers – And more!

Jeff Pritchard, COO, Oceans Healthcare

Aging Media Network — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Join Behavioral Health Business Reporter Chris Larson and Oceans Healthcare COO Jeff Pritchard in the newest episode of the BHB Perspectives Podcast! Jeff and Chris get into the latest and most pressing issues facing the behavioral health industry today. Also, get to know how a now-30-year health care veteran went from an English major from West Virginia to leading some of the largest psychiatric and addiction treatment facilities companies in the U.S. You will learn: — Why Oceans Healthcare opted to acquire a large Nashville-based psychiatric facility company — The strategic thinking that needs to go into hospital system JVs and M&A — The potential impact of looming Medicaid cuts — What happens when behavioral health companies lose the vision — And more! Note: Due to a podcast scheduling change, this episode references the 2025 VALUE conference, which was held in New Orleans in March. Keep an eye out for ticket information for VALUE 2026 in Orlando, March 4-6.

Diego Garza, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Mindpath Health

Aging Media Network — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The newest episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is out! In this episode, BHB sits down with Dr. Diego Garza, who serves as vice president of strategy and innovation and director of telehealth for MindPath Care Centers. During the conversation, Garza predicts the future of the proposed special registration framework, Mindpath's approach to value-based reimbursement contracts and the ins and outs of forging relationships with health systems. Listen to the podcast to learn all about: – The outlook of DEA controlled substance prescribing – How providers and government bodies can work together to push for change – The real status of value-based care contracting – And more!

Dr. Guy Maytal, Chief of Integrated Care and Psychiatric Services, Forge Health

Aging Media Network — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 14:24:50 +0000

The 11th episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is out! In this episode, BHB sits down with Dr. Guy Maytal, who serves as chief of integrated care and psychiatric services for Forge Health. During the conversation, Dr. Maytal discusses the concept of psychosocial oncology and how Forge Health is expanding its offerings to help people and families going through cancer. Listen to the podcast to learn all about: – What is psychosocial oncology is and how it differs from general mental health care – Common obstacles faced by cancer patients in obtaining such care and how can they be overcome – What Forge Health is doing to enhance its service offerings around psychosocial oncology and other forms of specialized care – And more!

Allan Benham, CEO, Alsana

Aging Media Network — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 19:33:19 +0000

The 10th episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is out! In this episode, BHB reporter Morgan Gonzales speaks with Allan Benham, CEO of Alsana. Tune in to gain insights into the current state of the eating disorder industry, trends in diagnoses and the role of virtual care. Highlights from the conversation include: – The importance of building strong relationships and referral pipelines with outpatient providers – How eating disorder providers are adapting to pressures that are exacerbating eating disorders – Coping with payers’ reluctance to pay for longer-term care – And more!

Sam Himelstein, Co-Founder and CEO, Family Spring

Aging Media Network — Wed, 01 May 2024 22:02:34 +0000

The 9th episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is out! In this episode, BHB executive editor Bob Holly speaks with Sam Himelstein, co-founder and CEO of Family Spring. Tune in to gain insights into launching and growing a behavioral health business, navigating challenges, and lessons that every entrepreneur should take into consideration. Highlights from the conversation include: – Key strategies Himelstein and his co-founder used to successfully launch Family Spring in California – The unique challenges entrepreneurs face in the behavioral health industry and how to overcome them – Valuable insights on growing a sustainable and impactful behavioral health practice – And more! Subscribe to get the latest candid and exclusive executive interviews in your Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify feed. Listen and share today!

Joe McDonough, CEO, Innovive Health

Aging Media Network — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 15:16:37 +0000

The federal government is increasingly pushing for more integration between physical and behavioral health providers. While many in the behavioral and primary care space are still working out a roadmap to future integration, Massachusetts-based Innovive Health has been doing this type of work for years. Innovive is a home health provider that caters to individuals with serious mental illness. The goal of the company is to keep high-acuity and high-risk patients at home and out of the hospital. The company’s staff, which is primarily made up of registered nurses, are trained to care for patients with serious mental illness and other chronic health conditions. It partners with Medicaid and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to provide its services and aims to help curb costs by avoiding hospitalization. Behavioral Health Business caught up with Innovive CEO Joe McDonough to talk about integration, Medicaid and the future of behavioral health.

Breanne Hartley, Chief Clinical Officer and Co-Founder, UNIFI Autism Care

Aging Media Network — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:54:23 +0000

The seventh episode of Behavioral Health Business Perspectives is live! Join BHB Reporter Chris Larson and Breanne Hartley, chief clinical officer and co-founder of UNIFI Autism Care, for a conversation about some of the top issues facing the industry today. They discuss how UNIFI plans to bring the many health care providers in the orbit of families of children with autism together into a team with applied behavior analysis (ABA) at its core. Listen to this episode to learn: — Where the need to revamp the patient and provider experience in autism therapy came from and why it must be addressed — How UNIFI hopes to retain behavioral analysts and techs by putting their work on the same plain as other clinicians — Why UNIFI has opted to partner with outside organizations rather than establish similar services in-house — What makes autism therapy a worthwhile place to work and invest Subscribe to get the latest candid and exclusive executive interviews in your Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify feed. Listen and share today!

Alex Stavros, CEO, Embark Behavioral Health

Aging Media Network — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:27:22 +0000

The sixth episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now Live! Behavioral Health Business Editor Laura Lovett sits down with Alex Stavros, CEO of youth-focused behavioral health provider Embark Behavioral Health. They discuss the challenges of tackling the youth behavioral health crisis and taking a preventative approach to care. Listen to learn about: – The unique challenges of treating the pediatric population – The best tactics to negotiate with payers – Strategies for expanding care capacities

Cooper Zelnick, Chief Revenue Officer, Groups Recover Together

Aging Media Network — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:51:12 +0000

The 5th episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now available! For this episode of BHB Perspectives, we caught up with Cooper Zelnick, chief revenue officer at Groups Recover Together. During the conversation, Cooper breaks down Groups’ approaches to value-based care, geographic expansion and Medicaid redeterminations. Listen to this episode of Perspectives to learn: – Why medication-assisted treatment is not a “silver bullet” for substance use disorder – Why providers need to be willing to take on risk to achieve value-based care payment models – How technology can be a double-edged sword when it comes to patients accessing care – And more! Subscribe to Perspectives to be notified when new episodes are released. Listen today!

Corbin Petro, founder and board member, Eleanor Health

Aging Media Network — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:51:51 +0000

The fourth episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now live! Behavioral Health Business Editor Laura Lovett sits down with Corbin Petro, founder of Eleanor health and trailblazers in the value-based care movement. They discuss the future of Petro’s recent transition out of the CEO role at Eleanor Health, the future of value-based care and the adoption of measurement-based care. Listen to learn: –What payers are looking for with value-based care contracts –What’s next for Petro after Eleanor Health –How the DEA’s telehealth regulations could impact the future of SUD care

Doreen Granpeesheh, the founder and CEO of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)

Aging Media Network — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 14:00:26 +0000

The third episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now live! BHB Reporter Chris Larson sits down with Doreen Granpeesheh, the founder and CEO of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). They discuss the origins of CARD, its growth the being the largest autism therapy provider in the U.S., why it fell into bankruptcy and what she will do differently now that she has returned to the CEO spot. Listen to learn: — Why Granpeesheh decided to scale up her California-based clinic into a national company — What type of leadership structure she leaned on as CARD grew — Why she and CARD sought private equity investment — What pushed CARD into bankruptcy — Why she left the company and why she's come back as its owner and CEO Subscribe to get the latest candid and exclusive executive interviews in your Soundcloud or Apple Podcasts feed. Listen and share today!

Brian Holzer, CEO, Aware Recovery Care

Aging Media Network — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:34:55 +0000

The 2nd episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now available! For this episode of BHB Perspectives, we caught up with Brian Holzer, the CEO of Aware Recovery Care. During the conversation, Holzer discussed his post-acute care background, the evolution of the behavioral health landscape, Aware’s one-of-a-kind model and more. Listen to this episode of Perspectives to learn: – What behavioral health can learn from the post-acute care space – Why Aware Recovery Care is so bullish on its in-home approach to SUD treatment – How Aware has shifted from a fee-for-service model to a bundled-payments approach – And more! Subscribe to Perspectives to be notified when new episodes are released. Listen today!

Samir Malik and Marie Hannah of firsthand

Aging Media Network — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:31:46 +0000

The 1st episode of the Behavioral Health Business Perspectives podcast is now available! For this episode of BHB Perspectives, we caught up with Samir Malik, the CEO of firsthand, and Marie Hannah, one of the company’s peers. During the conversation, Malik and Hannah discussed the value of peer-support models, firsthand’s momentum and more. Listen to this episode of Perspectives to learn: – Why Malik identified the peer model as something he wanted to build around after selling a large telepsychiatry business and working at Optum – What it’s like to actually be a peer specialist working with individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) – How recent developments at HHS and SAMHSA give validation to the peer approach – And more Subscribe to Perspectives to be notified when new episodes are released. Listen today!