Jim Szyperski, CEO, nView Health

For decades, the behavioral health industry has lagged behind the rest of the healthcare industry, often falling short in terms of technology adoption, reimbursement rates and even access to trained professionals. In fact, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that by 2025, the U.S. will have a shortage of all different types of behavioral health specialists, including more than 15,000 psychiatrists and 26,000 mental health counselors. And the global pandemic has poured fuel on a fire that was already raging, millions of peoples’ lives are now directly impacted by the lack of advancements in mental health, substance abuse and overall behavioral health.

In 2016, nView Health was formed to expand the Company’s core digital behavioral health assessment tools being used for many years by clinical and academic research organizations around the world to help healthcare providers in clinical practice more effectively screen their patients at risk for mental illness. With more accurate and timely identification of mental health disorders in patients, nView believes they can greatly improve the manner in which mental health problems are identified, diagnosed and treated.

In early 2020, the company received investment from BIP Capital and quickly launched a complete set of behavioral health assessment solutions specifically designed to meet the overwhelming need within healthcare provider communities. The company is now working with many clinical providers ranging from hospitals, outpatient clinics, pediatricians, primary care physicians and behavioral health specialists.

Jim Szyperski, CEO of nView Health, says, “With 1 in every 5 Americans experiencing a serious mental issue, we believe early and accurate identification is key to helping the healthcare industry solve this serious problem that has plagued our country for decades. And as the global pandemic exacerbates the problem by overwhelming the healthcare system that was already short on mental health specialists, now is the time for healthcare providers to act. They must find new ways to screen all of their patients, including everyone above the age of six, and more accurately diagnose those who need mental health assistance. We believe this can be done when you combine modern technology with our 25+ years of experience building and deploying mental health assessment solutions.”

What’s Different? nView’s Innovative Behavioral and Mental Healthcare Solutions

nView Health provides a suite of solutions that range from brief, 3-minute screening tools to more advanced, evidenced-based diagnostic interviews and patient outcome monitors. Its flagship product, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), has been cited in more than 17,000 publications and has been utilized in clinical studies approved by the FDA, the NIH, and the WHO. Hundreds of providers are turning to the M.I.N.I. because of it is often considered the Gold Standard in psychiatric evaluation tools.

Unlike other single-disorder screening tools, the M.I.N.I. can be used to diagnose 24 disorders in children and 17 disorders in adults, all from one solution. It is one of the only solutions that meets DSM-5 standards, thereby helping physicians remain compliant with the latest guidelines. In addition to providing better outcomes for their patients, assessments completed with nView solutions are reimbursable by CMS and most commercial payers, which helps physicians generate additional revenue.

Equipping Primary Care Providers: A New Mission

Today, more than 80% of all psychotropic drugs used to treat mental illness come from primary care physicians (PCPs), not psychiatrists, psychologists, or licensed therapists and clinicians. Many PCPs rely on outdated, paper-based assessment tools that are simplistic and one-dimensional, often requiring the physician to predetermine the potential disorder, such as depression or anxiety. However, many more complex disorders initially present themselves as one of these two popular conditions, so it is critical for providers who are not classically trained in mental health to have more comprehensive screening and diagnostic solutions. Unfortunately, this results in misdiagnosis rates far exceed correct diagnosis rates on most major mental health disorders.

According to Jim, “The shortage of trained behavioral health specialists has driven many people to seek help from their primary care physicians who are currently ill-equipped with the right tools and have limited mental health referral networks. We are on a mission to equip every primary care physician and pediatrician with our gold-standard solutions so they can confidently screen every patient who comes through their doors and ultimately better identify and assist those who need help.”

He goes on to say that the pandemic has had a horrifically negative impact on the mental healthcare system, one that was already operating in crisis mode. To avoid what many people are calling the “echo pandemic” (mental health pandemic), Jim encourages all healthcare providers to act now by equipping their teams with the tools they need to efficiently and accurately identify those with mental health conditions.

Psychiatric Solutions

nView’s psychiatric solutions are used by many of the world’s most advanced organizations who are performing work that is critical to solving the many problems that have plagued the behavioral health market for decades. 

• Identifying Screeners : Screeners can systematically and quickly identify potential behavioral health issues among individuals or a large population.
• Diagnostic Interview/Assessments : Short for the mini international neuropsychosis interview, nView’s M.I.N.I. is the most comprehensive and clinically cited behavioral health assessment solution available.
• Outcome Trackers : nView’s monitoring solutions offer clinicians and researchers the ability to track progress and measure outcomes along the way to ensure patients are reaching their therapy goals.

Committed to Client Success

nView is comprised of a passionate team of doctors, scientists, authors, technologists, parents, families, and survivors focused on solving the behavioral health crisis. As mental health advocates, business leaders, and technologists, the team works as one cohesive team to drive real change in how mental illness is perceived, assessed, diagnosed, and treated.

The company treats its clients not only as customers, but also as partners who often collaborate with them to improve the products and services. “Trust in nView is built by our doing what we say we will do when we say we will do it, time and time again,” asserts Jim. nView works to make the solutions unique to each customer and their workflows.

Future Plans

As nView continues to expand across the commercial healthcare market, the company also plans to continue expanding its product offering with modular assessments that can be configured to meet different needs, such those unique to emergency departments in hospitals and even retail clinics. In addition, the company is expanding its solutions to offer Content as a Service solutions, such as instant access to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and educational content to support more self-directed care plans. Packaging its solutions for direct consumer use is also in the company’s plans for 2021.