Magellan Health Enhances Suicide Prevention Risk Management Program

Solution uses data analysis and predictive analytics to identify and engage at-risk individuals.

FRISCO, Texas, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Magellan Health, Inc., a leader in behavioral health and related services, today announced innovative enhancements to its suicide prevention risk management program. Incorporating rigorous data analysis and leveraging the latest in predictive analytics, the newly designed and comprehensive solution is aimed at early identification and proactive engagement of individuals at-risk for suicide.

"Magellan is committed to addressing this public health crisis. Recognizing that individual, medical, relationship, community and societal risk factors contribute to the risk of suicide, our mission is to implement programs that can identify individuals at risk and reduce the incidence of suicidal ideation and death from suicide," said Caroline Carney, M.D., president of behavioral health and chief medical officer of Magellan Health. "Knowing who may be at risk helps us ask the questions that lead to earlier care."

Magellan's suicide prevention risk management program is a comprehensive solution designed to identify individuals at risk of suicide early, engage them proactively and provide continuous, targeted support to decrease suicidality, including ideation, plans, attempts and completions. 

Magellan is uniquely positioned to provide interventions that support caregivers, providers, workforces, and communities. The solution provides:

• Population awareness and stigma reduction
• Predictive analytics for early detection of suicidology
• Self-directed emotional wellness with remote monitoring tools
• Enhanced clinical pathways
• A specially trained network.

Using these tools, Magellan can engage at-risk persons in close to real time once the risk is identified. A recent claims analysis of members participating in the suicide prevention program showed Magellan achieved reduced readmission rates of 5.6% compared to the industry average readmission rates, ranging between 8-11%.  The results are for members tracked over the course of the following year.

Additionally, the program offers a suicide risk calculator developed by NeuroFlow, which helps health plans understand the financial impact of unmanaged suicide risk in a population.

According to the CDC, suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in the United States in 2022, with an alarming average of 136 suicides per day, resulting in a tragic total of 49,476 lives lost. This is a 3% increase from 2021 marking the highest number of suicides recorded to date. These statistics underscore the need for innovative and effective suicide prevention strategies.

The suicide prevention risk management program is an enhancement to Magellan's existing behavioral health product. It is available as a buyup to existing clients or can be embedded into the core product offering for new clients.

About Magellan Health: Magellan Health, Inc. supports innovative ways of accessing better health through technology, while remaining focused on the critical personal relationships that are necessary to achieve a healthy, vibrant life. Magellan's customers include health plans and other managed care organizations, employers, labor unions, various military and governmental agencies and third-party administrators. For more information, visit MagellanHealth.com.

SOURCE Magellan Health, Inc.