Sovereign Health, a US-based company on behavioural health system that treats both adolescents and adults, has now set its eyes on India. It has commenced discussion in the country. But no other details were made available.
The company with nine treatment centers in Arizona, California, Florida, Texas and Utah has a few more in pipeline. In India, it plans to access the market via the telehealth platform and implement many of its new technologies like NeuroCog and Compass to monitor patient progress.
Behavioural health covers depression, anxiety and addictions eating disorders that cause serious life-threatening medical consequences. Going by the need for behavioural health support both mental health disorders and addiction in India, there have been discussions, but as of now, we have several non-clinical offices in India, Dr. Tonmoy Sharma, founder and CEO, Sovereign Health told Pharmabiz in an email.
The age groups Sovereign Health assists range from adolescents of 13-17 years-old to adults above 18 years old. “People are understanding the value of telehealth in behavioural health treatment, both for caring for new patients and helping people to stay on track after discharge. Telehealth legislations are emerging to help break down the barriers to provide standardized quality care,” he added.
In the US too, despite comprehensive healthcare program, around 90 per cent go untreated. The impediments are bed shortage and a stigma for a psychiatric disorder.
This is where we see adoption of technologies to streamline and standardize care across facilities. Our online tool, NeuroCog, assesses types of cognitive issues patients have. The responses entered electronically trigger creation of charts that pinpoint the exact areas of deficits. With another tool Compass, patient information can be accessed by multiple members of a treatment team to track medications, test results and the interventions tried. All this information is protected with restricted access to protect the patient’s privacy, said Dr Sharma.
There is ample research to prove that these systems are working to improve care. The Harvard Medical School affiliate McLean Hospital’s eBasis data indicate our patients have better outcomes, which is higher than the national average, compared to 50 other behavioural treatment networks, he said.
Using Telehealth patients receive ongoing therapy remotely, from anywhere, using their computer, tablet or smartphone to remotely connect with a clinician. Patients are counselled via a HIPAA-compliant videoconferencing system which is a one-on-one therapy session.
Plans for the future for Sovereign Health are to keep track of where its services are needed to serve the sick and vulnerable. It is also forging partnerships and is associated with the Kennedy Forum, which advocates for evidence-based treatment. Its partnership with the law enforcement agencies like the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, help people who use drugs find treatment.