New York City-based health tech company Headway is expanding its therapist connection platform into California, aiming to improve mental health access in California for patients while supporting providers and payers. Headway functions as a bridge between health plans, mental health providers, and patients, offering technology tools that reduce administrative burdens and make it easier for patients to access in-network care.
Unlike traditional platforms, Headway does not charge patients or therapists to use its services. Instead, the company takes a commission from the insurance providers it partners with, ensuring that patients can receive care without additional costs. Providers benefit from streamlined operations, enabling them to focus solely on delivering care rather than administrative tasks.
Headway’s Nationwide Reach and California Expansion
Headway operates in 14 states and the District of Columbia and has partnerships with major insurers, including several BlueCross BlueShield entities, Aetna, Cigna, and UnitedHealthcare. By expanding into California, Headway gains access to the nation’s largest population and economy while addressing significant gaps in mental health access in California.
California faces substantial challenges in connecting residents with mental health care. According to Mental Health America, 63% of Californians with any mental illness (AMI) do not receive care, ranking the state third worst in the nation. Nationwide, 42% of people report not receiving care due to cost. Headway CEO Andrew Adams stated, “The mental health care crisis in California could happen anywhere, and is a reflection of our country’s broken system.” Expanding its platform is a strategic move to address these challenges and enhance mental health access in California.
Supporting Providers with Technology
Headway’s platform alleviates administrative burdens for mental health providers, handling credentialing, scheduling, billing, and revenue-cycle management. Oleg Tarkovsky, director of behavioral health services at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, noted, “Clinicians no longer have to deal with the business side of behavioral health and just be clinicians — provide services, treatments to their patients, and then get paid for it through Headway by CareFirst.”
By removing operational stress, Headway allows providers to focus on care delivery, while health plans expand their networks and gain valuable data. This approach improves overall efficiency and helps increase mental health access in California, particularly in underserved communities.
Connecting Patients to Care
For patients, Headway’s platform enables detailed provider searches based on location, race, gender, language fluency, and specialty. In a diverse state like California, this feature ensures patients can find culturally competent providers, improving engagement and outcomes. Nationwide, Headway facilitates about 2.5 million appointments annually, with over 20,000 credentialed mental health providers. The average wait time for a first appointment is 5.9 days, with some patients able to see a provider within 48 hours, boosting mental health access in California in practical, measurable ways.
Compliance with California Requirements
California providers face additional pressure due to Senate Bill 221, which requires mental health and substance use disorder providers to complete initial appointments for in-network patients within 10 days. Headway’s platform streamlines scheduling and intake, helping providers meet these legal requirements while maintaining high-quality care. This compliance ensures faster and more reliable mental health access in California for patients.
Building a Diverse Provider Network
Headway has focused on building a diverse provider network in California:
- 60% of providers are non-white
- 30% speak a language other than English, including Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, and Tagalog
- 25% support LGBTQIA+ needs
- 15% are Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)
This diversity ensures patients can find providers who understand their cultural, linguistic, and identity-based needs, further improving mental health access in California across different communities.
Investor Backing and Growth
Headway has attracted significant investor support, raising $70 million in a Series B funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Thrive Capital, GV, and Accel. Since its founding in 2019, Headway has raised over $100 million. Partnerships like the one with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield allow the company to support thousands of providers and expand mental health access in California, ensuring that more patients can receive timely, in-network care.
The Future of Mental Health Access
With its expansion into California, Headway is poised to make a meaningful impact on mental health access in California, addressing long-standing gaps in care and connecting patients, providers, and payers through technology. By simplifying administrative tasks for providers and facilitating faster connections to care, Headway’s platform demonstrates how tech-driven solutions can improve mental health outcomes and increase accessibility statewide.
