How Geisinger built an outpatient behavioral health workforce from 26 providers to more than 200
Impact on your practice
This case study illustrates the severe workforce shortage in behavioral health and the financial pressure on health systems to build internal capacity. Independent therapists may see increased competition from health systems investing in their own providers, but also potential partnership or employment opportunities as demand outpaces supply.
Key facts
Geisinger scaled outpatient behavioral health workforce from 26 to 200+ providers over multiyear period
System fields ~900 weekly appointment requests but can only accommodate 600-650, leaving 200-300 unmet weekly
Shifted away from third-party telehealth staffing toward building internal workforce; savings reinvested in service delivery
Vizient forecast projects 22% rise in adult outpatient behavioral health volumes by 2036 vs. 3% population-based growth
States affected
Policy changes drive denial patterns
Therapy Companion tracks both: the policy shifts on this page and the denial patterns hitting your claims.
Related policy changes
[PA] HB668: Authorizing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to join the Counseling Compact; and providing for the form of the compact.
While HB668 stalled, Pennsylvania's passage of SB604 (the companion bill) means PA LPCs will gain interstate licensure portability through the Counseling Compact. This significantly reduces licensing barriers and expands practice opportunities for Pennsylvania-licensed counselors across compact member states.
[WA] HB2429: Supporting children and youth behavioral health.
Washington's new law supporting youth behavioral health is now live. Therapists specializing in children and adolescents should monitor implementation for new funding streams, insurance coverage expansions, or referral network opportunities.
[PA] HB2653: Providing for behavioral health care provider access; and imposing penalties.
Pennsylvania's HB2653 aims to improve behavioral health provider access with enforcement penalties. If passed, this could expand therapist network inclusion requirements, reduce insurance barriers to patient access, and create new compliance obligations for insurers.
[CA] AB2511: Behavioral Health Provider Comparable Worth Study.
If passed, this study could provide data-driven evidence for therapists to demand higher reimbursement rates by comparing their work to other licensed healthcare providers. The comparable worth framework is powerful for parity arguments.