Sutter Health and Quartet team up to advance mental healthcare in Northern California

The platform enables better teamwork between primary care doctors and mental health specialists to improve total patient health and well-being. 

SACRAMENTO and NEW YORK – [AUGUST 22, 2017] – Sutter Health, a leading not-for-profit healthcare system in Northern California, and Quartet, a data-driven health technology company, today announced they will advance the connections between mental and physical healthcare in Sutter Health’s network. This collaboration is designed to improve overall patient health and well-being for residents.

Nearly half of the U.S. adult population has a chronic physical disease, and two-thirds of those have an accompanying mental health condition. These patients account for 50 percent of overall healthcare spend. However, patients suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes or arthritis can have a significantly higher quality of life and learn to better manage their physical symptoms by addressing their mental health needs. Only by treating physical and mental health together, can overall patient wellbeing be improved. Collaborative care, and giving patients better access to mental health services, has been proven to be highly effective both in improving patient outcomes and driving down healthcare costs.

“At Sutter Health, we are taking strong steps to raise awareness and further educate ourselves and the communities we serve about the importance of mental healthcare. Our work ranges from partnering with organizations to broaden access to support services, address workplace mental health, and even expand the use of electronic video evaluations in our own emergency departments,” said John Boyd, Sutter Health CEO, Mental Health Services. “Strengthening our efforts to integrate mental healthcare throughout our system, specifically into our primary care network, and being a champion in community-based care is another critical part of the solution—one that will take innovative companies like Quartet.”

Together, Quartet and Sutter Health will work to improve ways of diagnosing and delivering care to residents living with mental health conditions, which are often connected to chronic physical illnesses.

Quartet’s technology is designed to identify patients with underlying mental health conditions and help primary care physicians initiate them into care with the right specialists while facilitating a collaborative approach for ongoing care. Quartet is able to scale this model by creating a virtual, data-driven environment for shared care planning. Resources available through Quartet include a vetted group of local mental health specialists, live psychiatry consults for providers, data-driven best practices and customer service support for patients. Doctor offices typically spend significant administrative time coordinating mental healthcare for patients, but with Quartet’s help can now match them to the care they need.

The platform is designed to help Sutter physician offices overcome typical struggles surrounding mental healthcare delivery such as lack of access to specialists, time required for coordination, difficulty with follow-ups and limited ongoing evaluation based on results.

“Our fractured health system needs to better support people living with mental health conditions,” said Arun Gupta, Founder and CEO of Quartet. “Teaming up with leading health systems like Sutter Health, we are proving that technology can scale integrated healthcare models, and that we can better serve communities in need while lowering healthcare costs.”

“Primary care doctors are the front door to healthcare, and we always want to be in the best position to support our patients, no matter what their questions or concerns,” said Michael Conroy, M.D., Sutter Medical Group’s Chief Medical Officer. “Having quick, convenient access to trusted resources for specialized care like mental health gives us and our patients great comfort and confidence.”

According to the Sacramento Region Community Health Needs Assessment, emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to mental health conditions are at an all-time high—about four times the rate of the country and state benchmarks. In continued efforts to educate communities about mental health, Sutter Health has also recently teamed up with One Mind at Work and the Steinberg Institute to transform employer-based approaches aimed at employee well-being, reducing business costs and addressing social prejudice. It’s estimated that $48.3 billion could be cut from the total cost of healthcare in the U.S. each year by effectively integrating physical and mental health services.

“Tech-enabled solutions like Quartet benefit not only patients, but the entire healthcare system by lowering costs and improving productivity. Ensuring our efforts in mental health are on par with physical illnesses will allow us to more effectively treat patients in need,” said Patrick J. Kennedy, former Rhode Island congressman who championed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and now sits on the Board of Quartet.

To commence the relationship, Sutter Medical Foundation and Sutter Medical Group will pilot Quartet’s technology in the Roseville, Calif. area. This marks the first time Quartet has entered the California market.

About Sutter Health

Sutter Health was named one of the nation’s top five large health systems in 2016 thanks to its integrated network of physician, employee and volunteer pioneers—more than 60,000 people strong. Rooted in Sutter Health’s not-for-profit mission, these team members partner to deliver exceptional care that feels personal. From physician offices to hospitals to outpatient care centers and home services, they proudly support and learn from the more than 3 million people in their care—nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population, in one of the most diverse and innovative regions in the world. Sutter pioneers adopt new technologies, make novel discoveries and embrace creative thinking to help patients and communities achieve their best health. From its street nurse program that provides check-ups for homeless people, to telemedicine-aided specialist consultations, to walk-in care clinics, to smart glass technology, the Sutter Health team goes beyond traditional models to make care more convenient and to nurture and empower people throughout their medical journey.

For more information about the Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth.

About Quartet

Quartet is a mission-driven technology company that enables the delivery of personalized, collaborative care to patients in need. We partner with insurers and physicians to make mental healthcare more accessible and integrated into primary care. Our platform relies on advanced analytics, proven treatment programs, and easy-to-use technology to improve outcomes and total cost of care. We are a team of engineers, data scientists, and clinicians finding solutions for a fractured healthcare system. For more information, visit www.quartethealth.com.

In April 2016, Quartet raised $40 million in its Series B from GV (formerly Google Ventures), with participation from existing investors Oak HC/FT, F-Prime Capital Partners, and Polaris Partners. Quartet is using the investment to further build its team of engineers, data scientists, and clinicians, and expand into multiple major markets within the next year.