The Unintended Consequences of Rapid Digitization
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting legacy in the form of a deepening mental health crisis. As the world struggled to cope, the behavioral health sector underwent rapid digitization, marked by a surge in investment in mental health technologies. On the surface, this seemed like a much-needed step forward, with virtual care, AI-driven platforms, and mental health apps becoming increasingly prevalent.
However, as we approach the half-decade mark since the pandemic began, it has become clear that this proliferation of digital solutions has created a fragmented ecosystem. Rather than streamlining care, the surge in ‘point solutions’ has often over-complicated care delivery and undermined clinical workflows. According to a 2023 Rock Health Digital Health Venture Funding report, nearly 9 in 10 digital health startups in 2023 focused on point solutions alone.
The Limits of a Platform-First Mental Health Model
The root of this fragmentation lies in how digital behavioral health companies have structured themselves. Many mental health tech startups have followed the traditional tech company blueprint: build a sleek platform, scale quickly, and impress investors with user growth. However, behavioral health is not a typical tech industry; it’s a clinical care delivery industry. When company value is rooted in platform capabilities rather than clinical expertise, the solutions that emerge can feel misaligned with real-world needs.
For instance, some digital health startups have developed software that connects patients to a broad network of clinicians through a gig-style model. While this may expand access to care by reducing barriers like geography and scheduling conflicts, true continuity of care remains elusive. There’s often no shared clinical culture, no agreed-upon care pathways, and no uniform commitment to measurable outcomes. Without a foundation of full-time, supported clinicians, these platforms can become revolving doors.
Bridging the Gaps with Connected Technology
The next generation of behavioral health technologies must prioritize connection over proliferation. This means creating systems that unify rather than separate, with tools that enable a single, longitudinal view of a patient across the care continuum. Currently, clinicians are often left trying to piece together information from disparate sources: medication management apps, therapy notes systems, and EHRs that don’t communicate with each other. In fact, fewer than 20% of mental health apps are integrated within clinical systems or validated by evidence.
Imagine a fully connected system that functions like a digital backbone for all aspects of behavioral health diagnosis and treatment. It would automatically pull together medical history, lab results, social determinants of health, and behavioral data into a single interface. Clinicians could then spend less time toggling between tools and more time delivering care. Additional layers of technology like AI could surface clinical insights and suggest next steps, while keeping the clinician firmly in control.
The Path to Whole-Person Care
Used responsibly, advanced algorithms and AI have the potential to guide treatment decisions by parsing complex inputs and surfacing actionable recommendations. For example, a patient in treatment for depression who also complains of chronic pain could benefit from a tech-enabled clinical decision support system. This system could layer in data from the full electronic health record, recent lab results, comorbid diagnoses, and social determinants to identify potential risks, such as medication-induced depression relapse.
Making High-Quality Care More Affordable
Connected technology systems also offer a path to more sustainable cost models. Traditional fee-for-service reimbursement incentivizes quantity over quality, an approach that is increasingly untenable in behavioral health. When clinicians have access to data that shows what’s working and what isn’t, we can begin to align reimbursement with true value. As technology helps determine the most effective care pathways, it can reduce unnecessary utilization, lowering costs for both payers and providers.
The future of digital behavioral health lies not in standalone apps or fragmented platforms but in re-centering care around clinicians empowered by digital technology. The result is truly high-quality, whole-person care that’s both scalable and sustainable – clinically, operationally, and financially.
