Behavioral Health Providers and the Holiday Season

The holiday season is upon us, which can mean a lot for the behavioral health industry. Studies show that the holidays can be a trigger to those suffering from behavioral health issues. A shocking 64% of people with mental illness say that the holiday season actually makes their condition worse. So, what does this alarming statistic mean for those providing behavioral health services? At Nextus Billing Solutions, we’ve made it our priority to dig deeper into that and offer as much information as we can for behavioral health providers.

Higher Patient Demand

The first way the holidays can greatly affect behavioral health providers is through higher patient demand. Because the holiday season can cause such a rapid increase in mental health issues, many patients will request to be seen more frequently. This also means that there could be an influx of new patients. A great option to help meet this patient demand is virtual sessions for the patients that are able to. While some patients will require in-person, in-patient treatment, many will also be able to benefit from being seen virtually. This will greatly help providers to maximize the number of patients their seeing as much as possible. 

Longer Work Hours

With higher patient demand comes longer work hours. This is to be expected in many industries during the holiday season. The behavioral health world is certainly no exception. As a behavioral health provider, it’s important to make sure that you are balancing your work and personal life as much as possible. Prioritizing what’s important, delegating what you can, and creating space for rest and time with family are imperative to maintaining your own mental health. At Nextus Billing Solutions, we are proud to be able to partner with behavioral health facilities and providers to help create more of a work-life balance for them. 

More Billing & Paperwork

It probably comes as no surprise that with the high patient demand and long work hours that come with the holiday season, there will also be more billing and paperwork. Higher patient demand is what really contributes to this. It goes without saying that more patients mean more billing. When you have more billing and paperwork to deal with, that can also add to the extensive hours you’re already facing. However, your billing and paperwork don’t have to overwhelm you or add to your workload. Outsourcing is a great solution to ensuring things stay up-to-date and accurate. This is specifically where Nextus Billing Solutions can play a role in your behavioral health facility. Our billing and claims solutions go above and beyond to provide behavioral health providers with top-of-the-line management. We will worry about the logistic so you can focus on your patients and their needs. 

As the holidays approach us, it’s important to take into account what will change within the behavioral health industry. Behavioral health providers will start to see higher patient demand, longer work hours, and an influx of billing and paperwork. It is easy to become overwhelmed by all of these factors if you are unprepared. You must be innovative and flexible in your approach to caring for patients during the holiday season. One thing you shouldn’t have to worry about is the ever-increasing billing and paperwork your facility will accumulate. That’s why Nextus Billing Solutions is here to help take that stress off of your plate! That way, as a provider, you can focus on your patients during this holiday season and we will handle the rest.