The Company Breaking Down Barriers To Accessible Care

As we continue to feel the ongoing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, demand for mental healthcare has hit an all-time high. In America, one in five adults suffer from a mental health condition — however, 60% still struggle to access the care that they need. One company that has taken a personalized and comprehensive approach to increasing access to mental healthcare from day one is LifeStance Health. I recently sat down with Danish Qureshi, President and chief operating officer of LifeStance, to talk about the elements required to create a truly accessible mental healthcare system, how behavioral healthcare needs to adapt to patient preferences, how to leverage digital technology for an improved patient experience and what we can expect to see for the future of mental healthcare in 2023 and beyond.

Gary Drenik: How did your experience in healthcare prior to LifeStance shape your passion and interest in mental healthcare?

Danish Qureshi: Prior to co-founding LifeStance, I spent the previous five years at another startup in the outpatient wound center space. We grew that company to the second largest provider of wound care services in the country and successfully exited it to the only larger competitor in the space. It was incredibly rewarding to see the positive outcomes and overall improvement in wellbeing we delivered to patients by expanding access to care in their communities. I was particularly struck by the impact that successful outcomes had not just on their physical health, but also their mental health. That was one of the first lightbulb moments for me that inspired the founding of LifeStance.

The second point of inspiration was witnessing that when patients could not easily get access to care, it took a huge toll on them mentally. The healthcare system can be challenging to navigate, and I saw firsthand that access to healthcare (or lack thereof) can dramatically influence someone’s overall mental health. In fact, according to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, only 17.7% of adults are totally happy with their health, which underscores the need to deliver improved outcomes for patients nationwide, regardless of specialty.

Outside of my professional experience in healthcare, the personal experiences I’ve had with family and friends who have struggled to access mental healthcare services played the largest role in fueling my passion for reimagining mental health.

Drenik: LifeStance’s mission is to improve access to mental healthcare. How is LifeStance executing on that mission? What about your business model is unique?

Qureshi: First, it’s important to share some context about the mental healthcare landscape prior to LifeStance to understand the uniqueness of our model.

Historically, if you were a patient and you came to the very difficult realization that you may have a mental health condition that needs to be addressed, you’d likely go to your primary care physician first. From there, your doctor may give you a list of 100 independent mental health clinicians in your area and tell you good luck and to let them know how it goes.

If you had the perseverance to call down that list of 100, maybe 20 would answer. Of those 20, most would say they have a three to six month waitlist. If you had the patience to wait three to six months to get an appointment, they would then tell you that you would have to pay cash, because the majority of independent mental health clinicians don’t accept insurance.

So, if you have the perseverance, patience and financial means, you would show up to your first appointment. Let’s say that appointment was with a therapist, and after your session they say that you may be a good candidate for medication management. The cycle then repeats—they’ll likely give you a long list of psychiatrists to call down and say good luck, let them know how it goes, and you’re right back to the beginning of coordinating your own care.

LifeStance is very different—in one click or call, you can access a multi-specialty group of over 5,000 mental health clinicians nationwide, ensuring that you can match with someone who is specifically trained in your diagnosis. LifeStance also offers a hybrid model, meaning that patients can meet with their clinician virtually, in-person or a combination of both, which helps lower the barrier for receiving care.

And, importantly, LifeStance accepts insurance, which in all other healthcare specialties is the norm, but in behavioral healthcare it is a true differentiator.

When you juxtapose that ease of immediate access at LifeStance to large group of in-network providers with sub-specialties depending on your unique diagnosis, all of whom are prepared to meet with you in-person or virtually, it’s a night and day difference compared to the industry baseline.

Drenik: The pandemic shifted how people approach therapy. How do you see this impacting the way patients access care moving forward?

Qureshi: A silver lining of the pandemic is that it accelerated the healthcare industry’s use of telemedicine and tech-forward approaches. Telemedicine has been a game changer in terms of improving convenience and increasing the likelihood that patients will adhere to their care plan. While telemedicine remains an important option for patients, the demand for in-person care is returning very quickly. However, we firmly believe that the level of telemedicine services will remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Because LifeStance was specifically built to deliver hybrid care, we are agnostic as to where a patient seeks care. We can meet patients where they are while allowing our clinicians to have a more flexible and balanced caseload, which is a benefit to our clinicians as well. At the end of the day, we aren’t trying to force patients or clinicians into one setting or the other. It’s really about providing that flexibility depending on what’s best for their unique situation.

This has never been more important, as according to the same Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, 51% of adults believe their mental well-being has been negatively affected by the pandemic leading to increased feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness. We are facing a mental health crisis, and it’s absolutely critical that trusted, affordable and personalized mental healthcare is readily available.

Drenik: How do you see digital tools as an important piece of the patient experience?

Qureshi: This is a particular area of focus for LifeStance as we look ahead to the future. We place a big emphasis on our overall digital experience and telemedicine platform and how that influences the entire patient journey. That means everything from the very first time they seek care and get an appointment booked, to how they receive care, to the follow-up between appointments as well as staying in touch after they complete their care plan—that entire experience and journey is something we’re investing in, and we believe in a digital-forward approach to both the patient and clinician experience.

Drenik: As a leader in the industry, what are some ways executives can prioritize their mental health and set a positive precedent within their organization?

Qureshi: I believe it’s important to lead by example; make sure that mental health is a constant topic of conversation that is brought up across your organization, starting with senior leaders. It’s also critical to demonstrate your commitment to mental health in the workplace by investing in programs that reinforce mental health and overall wellness. It’s a difficult challenge, but over the course of the pandemic, we’ve seen how necessary it is to destigmatize mental health, and that includes in the workplace.

Drenik: Thank you Danish for that insight and the work that LifeStance is doing to reimagine mental healthcare through affordable, tech-enabled and personalized care.