Life-saving care for
those who need it most

Crisis Care is specifically designed for individuals with elevated suicide risk, including those who are actively suicidal and/or have had a recent suicide attempt, and those in need of follow-up care after hospitalization. This program delivers medically necessary care to patients who are often excluded from outpatient treatment (both in-person or telehealth) because of elevated risk.

Crisis Care is not designed for individuals who require emergency services and/or psychiatric facility admission, nor those with primary substance use disorder, psychotic disorders, and severe personality disorders.

New patients with participating insurance who meet the eligibility requirements can enroll directly upon completing our free intake assessment. New patients can also be referred by their healthcare provider. Existing Brightside patients who receive routine services can be directly enrolled in the program by their Brightside clinician, if they develop elevated suicide risk.

While it can take weeks to get an in-person appointment, patients can see a Crisis Care clinician in 48 hours or less.

Patients will be assigned to a CAMS-trained clinician within Brightside Health’s network who will conduct a thorough 60-minute intake evaluation to understand the patient’s level of suicidal ideation, history of suicidality, risk, and protective factors. If the clinician indicates the patient is appropriate for Crisis Care, intervention will begin immediately.

Brightside developed Crisis Care using the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) framework to identify and address suicidal behavior and suicide drivers. The CAMS approach is highly collaborative between patient and clinician, and employs a series of versatile tools, including the Suicide Status Form (SSF), which provides means for:

• Initial assessment and documentation
• Development and documentation of a suicide-specific treatment plan and safety plan (CAMS Stabilization Plan)
• Tracking and documentation of ongoing suicidal risk and updates to the treatment plan
• Documentation of clinical impressions and outcomes

We fully integrated CAMS into our virtual care model and enhanced it with technology. We facilitate every aspect of the program in live 1:1 Video Sessions, and supplement it with ongoing engagement tools like Anytime Messaging and Proactive Progress Tracking. Our SmartEMR also offers streamlined CAMS documentation for clinicians so they access advanced tracking to monitor suicide risk and treatment progress.

If the patient is not eligible for Crisis Care, we provide them with resources so they can get the appropriate care for their needs.

Patients enrolled in Crisis Care will have weekly—or more frequent—live 1:1 Video Sessions with their dedicated CAMS-trained clinician, Anytime Messaging between sessions, and Proactive Progress Tracking to view their progress over time.

Everything we do at Brightside Health is backed by evidence, and Crisis Care is no exception. We looked for the gold standard approach with proven results and found it in CAMS—one of a handful of evidence-based treatments recognized by the CDC, Joint Commission, Zero Suicide, and the Surgeon General. Based on 30 years of ongoing clinical research and five randomized controlled trials, CAMS has been proven to decrease suicide attempts and self-harm behaviors, and reduce suicidal ideation, in as few as 6 to 8 sessions.

Patients can actively participate in the Crisis Care program for up to 12 weeks, with a minimum requirement of 4 weeks. Once a clinician determines it is safe to do so, a patient can transition to routine services for ongoing management of symptoms. Patients who successfully achieve treatment goals in the Crisis Care program, and are appropriate for continuation of services via telehealth, are offered mental health treatment through Brightside’s Clinically-Proven Therapy and/or Personalized Psychiatry programs.

Brightside Health has a premium network of clinicians in all 50 states, many of whom have experience managing suicidality and/or have worked in high acuity settings. Every Crisis Care clinician has undergone rigorous vetting and received CAMS training. They also are supported with weekly consultation meetings, supervision, and one-on-one meetings with clinical leaders who are experts in suicide intervention and prevention.

Similar to Brightside Health’s care model for other mental health concerns, a combination of therapy and medication is available if a clinician determines it is appropriate and in the best interest of the patient.

Currently, Crisis Care is available to individuals with insurance. Brightside Health currently accepts a variety of insurance plans that together cover 60 million lives and counting. We offer coverage with Cigna/Evernorth, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare/Optum; are in-network with Anthem of CA; and are in various stages of contracting with over 20 additional plans.

Crisis Care is currently available in limited states, with a complete national rollout coming soon.