Centene and Quartet Health expand partnership nationwide to help ensure members have access to critical behavioral health care during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Quartet's national network of locally-based behavioral health providers will help members access care rapidly, with a focus on virtual care options

News provided by

Centene Corporation

Jul 16, 2020, 07:00 ET

ST. LOUIS and NEW YORK, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) and Quartet Health today announced a nationwide expansion of their existing partnership to help members quickly and easily access the behavioral health care they need.

Centene and Quartet first began their partnership in June 2019, launching in Illinois and Louisiana. The nationwide expansion will enable members to seamlessly access quality behavioral health care from providers located in their areas who serve their unique clinical needs. To support members who want access to care from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, all scheduled appointments will be with providers who support virtual care.

Across the United States, behavioral health care needs are on the rise. In March, more than two-thirds of Americans reported feeling anxious or depressed, according to a survey by McKinsey & Company. The following month, three times as many adults reported psychological distress as they did two years prior.

"During this difficult time of a worldwide pandemic, we are seeing a dramatic rise in behavioral health needs for our members," said Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman, President, and CEO of Centene. "Centene is pleased to partner with Quartet to leverage its national network of locally-based behavioral health providers, allowing our members to quickly be matched to the care they need in a setting that is comfortable for them."

Quartet's national network of care options includes virtual tele-psychiatry and tele-therapy, enabling members to access the care they need safely from their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual care can also lower the stigma associated with accessing behavioral health care services in person. In May 2020, nearly 80% of the appointments that Quartet scheduled for patients were for virtual care.

"COVID-19 has highlighted and exacerbated our mental health care crisis. Quartet is excited to partner with Centene to meet their members where they are in these unprecedented times. We've been working tirelessly to help people with mental health conditions quickly and easily get access to the right high-quality mental health care," said David Wennberg, MD, MPH, CEO of Quartet. "Our partnership will help ensure that Centene's millions of members will get the behavioral health care they need through a network of mental health providers that have virtual care capabilities, and are local to their area."

Quartet's HIPAA-compliant technology platform will integrate with Centene's population health software, making it simple for Care Managers and Utilization Managers to refer members to Quartet for behavioral health care, track member progress, and collaborate with the referred behavioral health providers -- all within their existing workflows.

"We are pleased to expand our partnership with Quartet and further equip Centene's Care Managers with the resources they need to support our members' whole health," said Brett Hart, Chief Behavioral Health Officer of Centene Corporation. "In Illinois and Louisiana, we have seen success with Care Managers using the Quartet platform to help members get the behavioral health care they need, including cutting down the time it takes for members to attend a behavioral health appointment by 41%."

About Centene Corporation
Centene Corporation, a Fortune 50 company, is a leading multi-national healthcare enterprise that is committed to helping people live healthier lives. The Company takes a local approach – with local brands and local teams - to provide fully integrated, high-quality, and cost-effective services to government-sponsored and commercial healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Centene offers affordable and high-quality products to nearly 1 in 15 individuals across the nation, including Medicaid and Medicare members (including Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) as well as individuals and families served by the Health Insurance Marketplace, the TRICARE program, and individuals in correctional facilities. The Company also serves several international markets, and contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide a variety of specialty services focused on treating the whole person. Centene focuses on long-term growth and the development of its people, systems and capabilities so that it can better serve its members, providers, local communities, and government partners.

About Quartet Health
Quartet Health is a healthcare technology and services company on a mission to improve the lives of people with mental health conditions. We connect people to the right care at the right time. Our collaborative technology and range of services bring together physicians, mental health providers, and insurance companies to effectively improve patients' health and drive down healthcare costs. Backed by $160.5MM in venture funding from top investors like Oak HC/FT, GV (formerly Google Ventures), F-Prime Capital Partners, Polaris Partners, Deerfield Management, Centene Corporation, and Echo Health Ventures, Quartet is headquartered in NYC and is currently operating in several markets across the United States — Pennsylvania, Washington, Northern California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Illinois.

Forward-Looking Statements
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This list of important factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We discuss certain of these matters more fully, as well as certain other factors that may affect our business operations, financial condition and results of operations, in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Due to these important factors and risks, we cannot give assurances with respect to our future performance, including without limitation our ability to maintain adequate premium levels or our ability to control our future medical and selling, general and administrative costs.

SOURCE Centene Corporation