Partnership eliminates treatment gaps for complex conditions and offers full-spectrum mental health services
Carrum Health, a national leader in value-based Centers of Excellence for specialty care, and Lyra Health, a top provider of workforce mental health solutions, have announced a strategic partnership to integrate their services and fill critical gaps in employer healthcare benefits. This collaboration links Carrum’s specialty care offerings, which include surgical, cancer, and substance use disorder treatment, with Lyra’s behavioral health support, creating a unified approach to care for high-need and high-cost populations. The partnership allows seamless care coordination, ensuring patients receive both specialty treatment and mental health support while helping employers reduce overall healthcare costs.
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Accessing mental health care remains a challenge due to long wait times, provider shortages, and high out-of-pocket costs. Behavioral health services often lead all specialties in out-of-network spending, with substance use disorder treatment costs rising as much as 40 percent out-of-network. By combining resources, Carrum and Lyra aim to provide continuous care after discharge. Patients undergoing substance use treatment receive a smooth transition into Lyra’s recovery programs, while surgical and oncology patients benefit from proactive interventions addressing anxiety and depression, which frequently accompany serious health conditions.
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The integration allows Lyra’s Care Navigators to refer members directly to Carrum’s specialty services, and Carrum patients can access Lyra’s mental health support for ongoing recovery. Matthew Eurey, Chief Commercial Officer at Carrum Health, emphasized that behavioral health and physical health are interconnected. He explained that members facing cancer, surgery, or substance use disorder require support across the entire care journey. Eurey highlighted that partnering with Lyra ensures members receive coordinated care from initial intervention through intensive treatment and recovery, addressing both immediate health needs and long-term mental wellbeing.
For employers, the partnership addresses growing challenges. Mental health care has become a major cost driver for employer health plans, with nearly 80 percent of large employers reporting increased utilization of mental health and substance use disorder services. Fragmented care often leaves high-acuity patients underserved, resulting in costly out-of-network claims and poor outcomes. The Carrum-Lyra collaboration extends proven strategies to reduce overall medical spend and shorten disability durations by connecting specialty and behavioral care for the highest-need populations.
Sean McBride, President of Employer Solutions at Lyra Health, said that gaps in care create preventable crises and drive costs higher. He explained that Carrum has built the infrastructure for true care coordination in specialty care, enabling members to receive timely treatment, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve outcomes.
Members of mutual clients benefit from rapid access to treatment, no gaps in care, no out-of-pocket costs, and evidence-based, accountable care. Substance use treatment providers can be accessed within a day for urgent needs, while Lyra provides immediate virtual mental health support for patients experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression. By connecting specialty care and mental health services, the partnership ensures patients receive coordinated, measurable, and sustainable outcomes throughout their care journey.
This collaboration represents a new model for employers and health systems seeking to integrate specialty and behavioral care, improve patient experience, reduce costs, and ensure that high-acuity populations receive comprehensive support without interruption.
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