Birches' Andrew DiGiacomo in BHB on rising complexity of addictions

Birches Health was spotlighted in a recent Behavioral Health Business article, "'They Rarely Travel Alone': Inside the Complexity Spiral of Emerging Process Addictions," written by Chris Larson. The piece looks at how quickly technology-driven process addictions, like gambling, gaming, and pornography use, are evolving, and how that evolution is forcing addiction treatment providers to rethink their clinical models.

The article draws on a panel discussion at the SUD Business Summit in Chicago, where leaders from across the addiction treatment industry discussed how personal technology has fundamentally changed the nature of these conditions. Jaime Vinck, president of Meadows Behavioral Health, described how patients today rarely present with a single, isolated issue, often arriving with co-occurring mood disorders, suicidality, and other complex needs layered on top of a process addiction.

Andrew DiGiacomo, SVP of Strategy at Birches Health, spoke on the panel about how dramatically accessibility has changed the risk landscape. As the article notes, Birches Health is a digital behavioral health company working at the center of these shifts, giving Andrew a close view of how quickly patient needs are evolving alongside technology.

DiGiacomo told the panel that the addiction treatment field has some catching up to do in a world where these behaviors are far easier to fall into than they used to be: "I think what we need to develop more and more clinical models that are addressing the new world that's available. Gambling has changed so much because you had to be very specific to have a gambling addiction. It's just true. You couldn't just suddenly become a gambler like you can now. Same with sex and love addiction."

DiGiacomo also spoke candidly about the business realities providers face when trying to innovate around these conditions, particularly with payers who are often slow to adapt to niche or emerging needs. "We do have a couple of bundled payments with certain groups that have been much more forward because they see the opportunity," he said. "But at the end of the day, it's an uphill battle all the time to try to convince them to get more innovative with us."

We're grateful to Behavioral Health Business and author Chris Larson for including Birches Health's perspective in this conversation about one of the field's most pressing challenges. As technology continues to reshape how process addictions develop and present clinically, Birches Health remains committed to building care models responsive to the world patients are living in today, and to advocating for the systemic changes needed to support that care.

Read the full article on Behavioral Health Business here (BHB+ paywall).