Bend Health Joins Evernorth's Behavioral Health Network, Expanding Access to Pediatric and Teen Mental Health Care

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Oct 02, 2023, 07:00 ET

Founded to help address the national state of emergency in children's mental health, Bend Health is now available as an in-network benefit through Evernorth Health Services

MADISON, Wis., Oct. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bend Health, Inc. ("Bend"), a leading national, virtual pediatric behavioral care provider, today announced its coaching, therapy and psychiatry services are available as an in-network benefit through Evernorth Health Services, the pharmacy, care and benefits solutions division of The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI).

As a part of Evernorth's behavioral health network, Bend Health's services are available to all Evernorth clients and millions of Cigna Healthcare customers who receive health coverage through their employer or marketplace exchange plans.

Founded by husband-and-wife team and healthcare industry veterans Kurt and Dr. Monika Roots (a licensed child and adolescent psychiatrist), Bend Health's timely access to expert care is made possible through its advanced technology and clinically-validated care delivery model. Specifically, the company's preventative coaching service is designed to address everyday challenges and mental health concerns to build resilience for kids, teens and caregivers.

"Coaching allows children, teens and caregivers to learn the skills they need to navigate everyday life from stress management and parenting skills to behavioral concerns like ADHD," said Dr. Roots, president of Bend. "Not only that, but at Bend Health we measure what symptoms are occurring when a child, teen or caregiver comes to us for help. We continue to measure the effect of our services so families can see their symptoms improve over time."

Like monitoring blood pressure for hypertension, measuring mental health symptoms while in care allows Bend practitioners to personalize interventions to help kids and teens get better faster. If more intensive care is needed, families can add therapy and psychiatry to their care program.

"It's critically important that we find innovative ways to offer behavioral health support and services in ways that are familiar and comfortable for our customers," said Dr. Stuart Lustig, a board-certified psychiatrist and national medical executive for provider partnerships at Evernorth. "Being able to provide care and treatment digitally allows people to get care when and where they need it, and Bend Health's technology tracks what is working – and what's not – so that care can be personalized and ultimately, more successful."

Bend supports mental health from sub-acute issues such as stress, sibling rivalry, technology addiction, anxiety, and depression to severe mental illness, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, and co-occurring substance use. Its collaborative care model combines virtual video visits, chat messaging, and integrated digital experiences to provide kids, teens, and caregivers skills that support long-term mental health resilience and wellness. Care teams benefit from novel technology that uses measurement-based care to track patient progress.

The company recently closed its Series A financing round. Along with its Seed round, Bend has raised $32 million from respected investors including Maveron, SteelSky Ventures, and WVV Capital. Bend Health is in-network in select states for over 250 million lives through Aetna, Ambetter, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CareSource, Cigna, Molina, MultiPlan, Optum Behavioral Health, Surest, and other health insurers.

About Bend Health, Inc.

Bend Health, Inc., a national provider of pediatric mental health care services for children and families, is on a mission to improve access and reduce the cost of high-quality, expert mental health care. Bend is revolutionizing treatment through a novel, data-driven technology platform and evidence-based collaborative care model that enables the first scalable and integrated care solution in mental health. Through coaching, therapy, and faster access to evaluation and treatment by psychiatric experts, Bend achieves better outcomes utilizing measurement-based care and supports happier, healthier kids and families. Bend services are available through partnerships with leading insurers, employers, and health systems, and self-pay. Follow us online: www.BendHealth.com.

SOURCE Bend Health, Inc