Evia

Evolving Field of Digital Mental Health

evia — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:12:15 +0000

The expanding domain of digital mental health is transitioning beyond traditional telehealth to incorporate smartphone apps, virtual reality, and generative artificial intelligence, including large language models. While industry setbacks and methodological critiques have highlighted gaps in evidence and challenges in scaling these technologies, emerging solutions rooted in co‐design, rigorous evaluation, and implementation science offer promising pathways forward. This paper underscores the dual necessity of advancing the scientific foundations of digital mental health and increasing its real‐world applicability through five themes. First, we discuss recent technological advances in digital phenotyping, virtual reality, and generative artificial intelligence. Progress in this latter area, specifically designed to create new outputs such as conversations and images, holds unique potential for the mental health field. Given the spread of smartphone apps, we then evaluate the evidence supporting their utility across various mental health contexts, including well‐being, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. This broad view of the field highlights the need for a new generation of more rigorous, placebo‐controlled, and real‐world studies. We subsequently explore engagement challenges that hamper all digital mental health tools, and propose solutions, including human support, digital navigators, just‐in‐time adaptive interventions, and personalized approaches. We then analyze implementation issues, emphasizing clinician engagement, service integration, and scalable delivery models. We finally consider the need to ensure that innovations work for all people and thus can bridge digital health disparities, reviewing the evidence on tailoring digital tools for historically marginalized populations and low‐ and middle‐income countries. Regarding digital mental health innovations as tools to augment and extend care, we conclude that smartphone apps, virtual reality, and large language models can positively impact mental health care if deployed correctly.

Source: National Library of Medicine — Read more

People Living with Mental Health Conditions

evia — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:05:32 +0000

More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), with conditions such as anxiety and depression inflicting immense human and economic tolls. While many countries have bolstered their mental health policies and programmes, greater investment and action are needed globally to scale up services to protect and promote people’s mental health.

Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in all countries and communities, affecting people of all ages and income levels. They represent the second biggest reason for long-term disability, contributing to loss of healthy life. They drive up health-care costs for affected people and families while inflicting substantial economic losses on a global scale.

The new findings published in two reports – World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 – highlight some areas of progress while exposing significant gaps in addressing mental health conditions worldwide. The reports serve as critical tools to inform national strategies and shape global dialogue ahead of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Meeting on noncommunicable diseases and promotion of mental health and well-being, taking place in New York on 25 September 2025.

“Transforming mental health services is one of the most pressing public health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Investing in mental health means investing in people, communities, and economies – an investment no country can afford to neglect. Every government and every leader has a responsibility to act with urgency and to ensure that mental health care is treated not as a privilege, but as a basic right for all.”

Key data from World mental health today

The report shows that while prevalence of mental health disorders can vary by sex, women are disproportionately impacted overall. Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common types of mental health disorders among both men and women.

Suicide remains a devastating outcome, claiming an estimated 727 000 lives in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death among young people across all countries and socioeconomic contexts. Despite global efforts, progress in reducing suicide mortality is too low to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of a one-third reduction in suicide rates by 2030. On the current trajectory, only a 12% reduction will be achieved by that deadline.

The economic impact of mental health disorders is staggering. While health-care costs are substantial, the indirect costs – particularly in lost productivity – are far greater. Depression and anxiety alone cost the global economy an estimated US$ 1 trillion each year.

These findings underscore the urgent need for sustained investment, stronger prioritization, and multi-sectoral collaboration to expand access to mental health care, reduce stigma, and tackle the root causes of mental health conditions.

Key findings from the 2024 Mental Health Atlas

Since 2020, countries have been making significant strides in strengthening their mental health policies and planning. Many have updated their policies, adopted rights-based approaches, and enhanced preparedness for mental health and psychosocial support during health emergencies.

However, this momentum has not translated into legal reform. Fewer countries have adopted or enforced rights-based mental health legislation, and only 45% of countries evaluated laws in full compliance with international human rights standards.

The report reveals a concerning stagnation in mental health investment. Median government spending on mental health remains at just 2% of total health budgets – unchanged since 2017. Disparities between countries are stark; while high-income countries spend up to US$ 65 per person on mental health, low-income countries spend as little as US$ 0.04. The global median number of mental health workers stands at 13 per 100 000 people, with extreme shortages in low- and middle-income countries.

Reform and development of mental health services is progressing slowly. Fewer than 10% of countries have fully transitioned to community-based care models, with most countries still in the early stages of transition. Inpatient care continues to rely heavily on psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half of admissions occurring involuntarily and over 20% lasting longer than a year.

Integration of mental health into primary care is advancing, with 71% of countries meeting at least three of five WHO criteria. However, data gaps remain; only 22 countries provided sufficient data to estimate service coverage for psychosis. In low-income countries fewer than 10% of affected individuals receive care, compared to over 50% in higher-income nations – highlighting an urgent need to expand access and strengthen service delivery.

Encouragingly, most countries report having functional mental health promotion initiatives such as early childhood development, school-based mental health and suicide prevention programmes. Over 80% of countries now offer mental health and psychosocial support as part of emergency responses, up from 39% in 2020. Outpatient mental health services and telehealth are becoming more available, though access remains uneven.

Global call to scale up action on mental health

While there have been some encouraging developments, the latest data shows that countries remain far off track to achieve the targets set in WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan.

WHO calls on governments and global partners to urgently intensify efforts toward systemic transformation of mental health systems worldwide. This includes:

equitable financing of mental health services;
legal and policy reform to uphold human rights;
sustained investment in the mental health workforce; and
expansion of community-based, person-centered care.

Crisis Guidelines Updates

evia — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:45:18 +0000

SAMHSA’s updated 2025 crisis-care guidelines outline how communities should design 24/7 crisis systems—covering call centers (988), mobile response, and crisis receiving/stabilization. It emphasizes coordination, equity, and data use to improve outcomes and reduce ED/police reliance. CSR-TTAC
Why it matters: A clear framework agencies can reference when partnering with counties, payers, and law enforcement on crisis pathways.

CLICK HERE to download the complete guide.

The Truth About Turnover

evia — Mon, 06 May 2024 03:04:38 +0000

Spring is finally here! That means transitions, new beginnings, and growth is in the air. Though a fresh start can be exciting, discomfort and growing pains can accompany a much-needed transition. Allergies, dust, and replacing what was lost are just a few of the necessary pitfalls that impact us all this time of year. Like the changing seasons, transitions can be just as bittersweet in business. We are not always prepared, but the other side of change is always new growth and better beginnings. Transitions can be healthy, let us show you how!

How do you handle turnover within your organization?

Key players can leave at any time - sadly their experience is not transferrable. The caveat to hiring and growing with your leadership team is that they constantly learn and adapt their skills to meet the organization’s needs. They develop processes, implement learnings and make it all work within the needs of the business. So - what do you do when it’s time to transition and you lose the knowledge that cannot be replaced?

1. Adjust Your Resources

Is there anyone within your organization with the skills and excitement that is willing to take on this new role? Maybe they are prepared to grow into the position but have yet to get the chance. Utilize them. Give them the responsibility and space to implement new ideas. The transition will be less daunting with an internal hire and you never know what improvements can come with a fresh perspective. Before you panic, always see if there is an opportunity to work with what you have.

We see these transitions all the time with our clients at TLock Solutions. Providers experience the turnover of their veteran employees and all of the knowledge leaves with them. Even the seemingly small nuances like workflow adjustments and system best practices can make a huge impact. The difference between a key transition being detrimental or beneficial is in mitigating the impact. You can do this by translating functional knowledge into a system. Monitoring clinical integrity with your data will ensure that you are not interrupting your clients’ experience when you transition internally. Assess and evaluate the system regularly to ensure it improves as new information is learned.

Our Approach to Transition in Billing

Our Rescue, Reset, and re-educate model is a unique approach to transitions in billing and EHR. We start by putting out any fires and meeting immediate needs that a missing resource can bring up. Usually, assets are recovered and we learn what is missing or needed. Then, we address necessary system changes, improving internal processes for efficiency. The key part of this process is training key leadership on the new system to help with change management and mitigating future transition issues. To learn more about this process or get the help you need, contact us today.

EMR vs EHR: What’s the Difference?

evia — Sun, 05 May 2024 16:15:38 +0000

What is the definition of an EHR (electronic health record)?

On the other hand, an Electronic Health Record (EHR) is more comprehensive than an EMR. It contains much of the information as an EMR but, as it can be moved between hospitals and clinics it is a more thorough account of a patient and includes information beyond a single practice. An EHR can be maintained by several different providers, whereas an EMR is solely maintained by one. An EHR can contain data regarding various clinics, hospitals, laboratories, medications, and pharmacies, as well as other providers. This is a more holistic view of a patient’s record, encompassing many aspects of their care.

Access: EMRs are only accessible within a practice. The data is often hosted within the provider’s office and doesn’t move elsewhere, though some EMRs are cloud-based. EHRs are designed to travel across different organizations. EHRs utilize cloud-based servers and can be accessed from various locations. As a result of this access, other providers are able to update the EHR and keep information current and complete. There are no missing pieces. This is important for a patient who is receiving care at multiple clinics.

Conclusion

EMRs and EHRs have many similarities and both work to solve the same problem, keeping a patient’s record accurate and easily accessible. Both EMRs and EHRs are essential to running a modern practice. Keeping patient information in an EMR is going to both ensure accuracy and successful treatment outcomes. On the administration side, an EMR can be useful in processing billing and reducing time spent looking for paper records. Understanding the key differences can help navigating across various platforms and understanding what to request from other care providers.

Minding Matters of the Heart

evia — Sat, 04 May 2024 04:58:31 +0000

A statistic from the CDC reports that over 60 million, about 44%, of women in the U.S. are living with some form of heart disease. It is the leading cause of death among women in the country. The advancements in technology and medicine are not focused on prevention, most women don’t know that they have a problem until it’s too late. When broken down by demographics, the numbers are staggering. According to the organization, Go Red for Women, 59% of Black women over the age of 20 in the United States suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. Black women continuously raise the standard for excellence in any industry - athletics, education, fashion, media, business, and politics. Why are our future leaders, mothers, and innovators being impacted so heavily by a condition that is often preventable?

One in five women will die of heart disease in the United States ((Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Minding your health and heart can be a matter of life or death. Women deserve to live long and healthy lives. This Women’s History Month, we want to bring attention to the issue of heart disease facing women and share ways to manage a healthier heart. Online sources suggest 'reducing stress' as a solution without information on how or what it looks like in practice. Read more for some ways to manage stress and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.

1. Self-Advocacy

Bias exists in any profession, and the doctor’s office is no different. Though we cannot control the beliefs of our physicians, we can control what we know about our health. Request testing, keep track of your blood pressure levels, and know what to look for when something is off physically. Communicate if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease and get ahead of any life events or changing habits that bring new stress. If you are denied, seek another physician or outpatient testing at your local clinic.

2. Self-Care

Self-care is more than a buzzword. In matters of the heart can save your life. As matriarchs, mothers, CEOs, and all-around Superwomen - Black women should be at the center of the conversation around self-care. We carry the burden with grace, yet it is no less detrimental to our overall health. Daily actions and mindset shifts can ease stress and lower blood pressure. Taking more time to breathe intentionally, getting quality sleep, and walking to decompress can mitigate the risk of heart failure and improve your quality of life.

4. Find Strength in Numbers

Share this information with your friends, women in your family, coworkers, neighbors - anyone. Let your concern for your well-being be a conversation and lean on others for support. If you are overwhelmed ask for help, delegate tasks and, if possible, outsource. Not only because you deserve the support, but community is good for your health. Social interaction and companionship can lighten your mood, ease stress and promote safety, belonging, and security.

A Guide to Intentional Strategic Planning

evia — Fri, 03 May 2024 05:47:21 +0000

New Year, New Plans! It’s officially time to regroup, get back into the swing, and plan for the year ahead. Behavioral Health as an industry will see more growth with higher demand, new investment and technological advances. The best way to be prepared is to plan. Based on the previous year, where do you want to improve? Is there anything you want to do more or less? You might need to find more resources or hire support. How do you know where the process should change and where it’s working? Review is just as important as the plans to move forward. We’re sharing reminders and tips to help you get the most out of your 2023 Strategic Planning Session.

Slow Down to Speed Up

When planning for what’s ahead, it’s easy to get excited and want to get started as soon as possible. To clear the road ahead, you have to take the time to really review the last year. Outside of an Annual Report and Financials, ask yourself and your team where they need the most support, what process can be improved, and find the information to make the proper changes.

Assess Metrics

The best data you can use to review the past year in your business is Canned Reports. When reviewing you should assess revenue, client cancellations, highest billed service, highest treatment areas and programs, and productivity. From These reports, you will be able to answer what your pain points are and make informed decisions on where to invest more resources or development within your business.

Measure with Milestones

As you map out what you want and how to make it happen, be sure to include milestones in your planning too. These can be dates, company-wide meetings, or high-level check-ins. Make sure to involve everyone necessary and have a measurement for success. If one of your goals is to improve a process, how often are you reviewing efficiency? Define and schedule milestones now to ensure you remain on track throughout the year.

Take Care of Yourself

Planning for the year can be overwhelming. It’s a critical time in your business, give yourself grace and make time for self-care. Take walks outside at least daily, meditate, set alarms to step away from your computer, and don’t forget to blink. Taking these small moments for yourself not only helps your mind and body, but it requires intention. Be conscious of the world around you to help you focus when it matters most.

Decompress this December

evia — Fri, 03 May 2024 01:43:03 +0000

It’s the most wonderful… and potentially stressful time of the year. Happy Holidays from TLock! From parties and celebrations to end-of-year reports and reviews - December is full. Set yourself up for success by slowing down. Take the time to decompress and truly ease into the year ahead for optimal results. There is always more to do, people to see, and events to attend. But you typically only get one time a year when the world around you stands still. This is your reminder to take that time and do something valuable for you. Read more from our Founder, Tracel Lockhart on how to make the most of this holiday season.

Plan for Rest

It seems counterintuitive because it is. When given any spare moment or day out of the office, many of us naturally fill it with all the other things we would be doing if we didn’t have to work. One of the most productive things you can do for your future self is intentional rest. This holiday season, in between all the obligations and future planning, give yourself an hour, a day, or even a week, if you can, of total rest.

Move Your Body

After a year on the go, it’s important to take an extended time to move your body. With fewer excuses and more calories coming in during the holidays, small intentional changes to your daily happens will guarantee you start the new year with your best foot forward. If you aren’t into rigorous routines, just more often. Twice a day for 30 minutes each makes all the difference.

Screens Down

All of the time you spend answering emails, on calls, and video chatting can now be spent offline. Take advantage of the time that you have to do nothing. That includes screen time. Your eyes, your head, and the people around you will all appreciate it. You can ensure as little screentime as possible by creating a unique Do Not Disturb setting on your iOS devices, setting your email accounts with an Out of Office autoresponse, and adding screentime allowance or timers to your social apps and devices.

Reconnect

Think of the last interaction that left you feeling warm, loved, and seen. Schedule a time to see, call or reconnect with that person while you have some downtime. Not only is it important to foster healthy relationships, but the mind and body respond to meaningful interactions as well. You might learn something new or discover an opportunity that you wouldn't have otherwise!

Eat Well

When we’re constantly working and caring for others it can be hard to properly nourish our bodies. Your energy and overall well-being are determined by what you eat. You don’t have to diet or restrict yourself either, just make space to cook intentionally and eat more of the foods that your body needs. You can choose to be mindful of just one aspect of healthy eating including timing, not eating fast food or takeout, and incorporating more whole foods.

A Secret Weapon to Behavioral Health Business Success

evia — Thu, 02 May 2024 17:03:30 +0000

Despite outdated processes and their pain points, most practitioners across the Behavioral Health Industry are behind the curve in adopting an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. Providers are weary of implementing a new system for their business due to the long process which can result in loss of time and resources. Behavioral Healthcare is unique in the varying needs and nuances within the same industry. There is no one size fits all solution and we see smaller agencies maintaining their systems and inefficient processes as a result. Unorganized rooms full of paper files, inconsistent notes and payments being lost or not fully processed are just some of the common practices among small and mid-sized agencies. The unique, high-touch, quality care necessary to meet patient demand typically takes precedence over implementing technology and improving existing processes.

A recent article from Behavioral Health Business listed some of the ways EHRs will shape the future of Behavioral Healthcare. As of 2022, only 6% of Behavioral Health agencies have implemented an EHR System. A major gap between the 80% of hospitals that currently utilize EHR with success. In response, providers spoke on their reservations around implementation - ones we have heard from clients and answered through our EHR Implementation process. Proper EHR implementation might be the

Cost of EHR implementation

On average, EHR implementation can cost anywhere from $15,000-$70,000 in resources, training and software. This amount can be a huge risk to a small agency. An integral part of our process at TLock Solutions is Asset Recovery, where we monitor, utilize and recover assets that may have been overlooked to get agencies the capital they need to sustain the implementation process. We have recovered over $100,000 in assets for some clients, making the short-term expense a no-brainer. If passed, the Behavioral Health Information Technologies (BHIT) Now Act will incentivize Behavioral Health agencies with resources to implement EHR systems mitigating the risk and increasing the margin of return.

Niche Agency Needs

Behavioral Health is not as cut and dry as Physical Healthcare. Industry wide, there are varying needs depending on the client demographic, specific specialization and the institutions you work within. For example, a psychiatrist treating high school students will require a different system than an agency treating adults with drug addiction. That is a huge reason we offer an end-to-end EHR implementation process that includes system vetting. We observe the current processes and needs of our clients and help select the best software to meet their unique demands.

With the demand for Behavioral Health services consistently increasing, inflation rates and changing laws and policies, EHR Implementation is no longer just an option but a secret weapon for success. Give your clients the value-based care that they need with better program tracking, sophisticated data points and process ease. Learn more about the ways we can support your EHR Implementation and Management process here on our website and stay connected with us on LinkedIn for updates on Behavioral Health industry news and best practices for EHR success.

Check-In with Your Revenue Cycle Management

evia — Thu, 02 May 2024 16:57:26 +0000

Take it from us, well-functioning systems will make all the difference in your business. TLock Solutions helps Behavioral Health agencies assess, create, implement and manage systems for optimal results. One of the best times to learn whether or not your systems could use adjustments is during a transition. New personnel, updated software or the start of a new fiscal year can serve as a vulnerability test for your processes. It can be either a stressful or seamless time and we’ve seen it from both sides in Behavioral Health. This time of year especially, as the fiscal year ends and Summer begins, is an opportunity to review and correct your internal and financial processes.

Most of our work requires us to rebuild processes from scratch, With many agencies operating on outdated systems or outgrowing their existing ones, we see firsthand the importance of ongoing management. This is most prevalent with revenue cycle management. We have successfully recovered tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars for our clients through effective EHR Implementation and Management. Agencies big and small are focused on providing the highest quality care to their clients while facing a constant growing demand for services. The right systems and processes make all the difference and we’re here to help. See some ways that agencies can be proactive with their revenue cycle management systems now:

Have a Plan
Always have a plan for your revenue. Account for personnel changes, industry updates and new opportunities that may arise. You never know what might come up, be sure to plan ahead!

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Maintain Volume

Take a look at past years to see when the most significant changes happen in your revenue. For example, Summer means kids out of school, more travel and less time for routine appointments. You’ll most-likely have less interaction with your clients during this time, find ways to support them anyways.

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Communicate More
It’s important to communicate both internally and externally when adjusting to changes in your business. When you plan for changes, include your method of being proactive in communication with patients. Make phone calls, check-in often, pre-schedule appointments for medications.

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Manage your Stress

The best thing you can do when managing changes in your business is to take the time to destress. You'll make clearer decisions and ease the process when challenges arise. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, be sure to take care of yourself while caring for others.