Talkspace launches behavioral health consortium with specialty care

Teletherapy company Talkspace announced the launch of Behavioral Health Consortium, an offering allowing clinicians to refer insured members with high-acuity needs to in-network specialty-care providers for alcoholism, substance use and eating disorder treatments. 

The network includes virtual opioid use treatment company Bicycle Health, outpatient mental health support company Charlie Health and alcohol use treatment organization Ria Health. 

In addition to obtaining a referral from a clinician, Talkspace members can access the Consortium through the company’s recently launched wellness platform, dubbed Health Collective. 

Health Collective pairs patients with high-quality behavioral health care through partnerships with other companies, including wearables maker Oura, women’s health company Evernow and depression-focused Options MD.

Talkspace offers therapy for people 13 and older, for couples and for medication management.

“At Talkspace, we recognize that some members may require a higher level of care or specialized treatment programs,” Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, chief medical officer at Talkspace, said in a statement. 

“By collaborating with trusted partners, we can offer our members access to clinically-vetted providers while maintaining our commitment to affordability and accessibility. This initiative underscores our dedication to delivering comprehensive, whole-person care to our members, ensuring that their mental health needs are met holistically.”

THE LARGER TREND

Talkspace partnered with Bicycle Health in February to connect patients with therapists for opioid use disorder treatment. 

Bicycle’s CEO and cofounder joined HIMSS TV in January to discuss the company’s partnership with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for access to opioid use disorder treatments. 

In March, telehealth platform Wheel added Talkspace to its virtual care platform. Wheel also added diagnostic-services company Health Gorilla and pharmacy-savings company Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. 

Last week, Talkspace and telemedicine company Thirty Madison teamed up to launch mental health offerings for Thirty Madison’s reproductive-health platform Nurx and migraine-focused offering Cove. Talkspace will also serve as the primary therapy partner for both Nurx and Cove.