In this Voices Interview, Behavioral Health Business sits down with Simon Tankel, the Founder and CEO of Heading Health, to discuss the company’s groundbreaking approach to in-network ketamine treatments, medication management, and therapy. Tankel dives deep into how Heading Health is reshaping mental health care by integrating innovative treatments with traditional therapy, ensuring a seamless experience for both patients and providers. He also shares his insights on the financial and regulatory landscape of the mental health industry, as well as the company’s vision for the future of treatment accessibility.
Drawing From Diverse Experiences to Build Heading Health
Tankel’s journey to founding Heading Health is informed by a range of career experiences, from his time as a power station developer to his involvement in the cannabis sector in Germany. He explains that his background in the infrastructure industry helped him recognize the importance of financial and regulatory support to make large-scale projects successful. “Building infrastructure becomes an uphill battle without stringent regulations and the necessary funds,” Tankel explains, drawing a parallel to mental health care. In the U.S., Tankel sees mental health as an area that, like public utilities, requires similar financial and regulatory backing to thrive. He notes the strength of the American healthcare system, with its well-funded payers and sophisticated regulatory bodies like the FDA and NIH, as key factors enabling the success of innovative mental health treatments in the space.
His previous work with a fully insurance-covered cannabis supplier in Germany was particularly formative, revealing that pricing strategies play a vital role in making new treatments accessible. “To promote wider adoption of effective new treatments, pricing strategies are essential,” he says, drawing a comparison to the early days of the iPhone, where high initial costs limited its reach. Tankel’s experiences shaped his decision to build Heading Health in the U.S., where accessibility—especially for those financially constrained—is a top priority. “A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, and they are often the ones in dire need of care,” he adds, reinforcing his commitment to ensuring affordability in innovative mental health treatments.
A Hybrid Approach to Mental Health Care
One of the most innovative aspects of Heading Health is its hybrid care model, combining interventional services like ketamine treatments with traditional medication management and therapy. Tankel believes that this multi-service approach is essential for providing tailored care to patients, as there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for mental health. “Providing a range of treatments, whether in combination or succession, enhances the probability of swifter patient recovery,” he explains. This is particularly true for patients dealing with chronic conditions like depression, where a variety of treatments can offer more effective outcomes than any single approach.
Managing such a wide array of services—both virtual and in-person—requires strong logistical coordination, and Tankel acknowledges that this is no easy feat. “Orchestrating numerous service lines is a daily challenge,” he admits. “It surpasses the complexity of single-channel digital tools, but it allows us to cater to patients with heightened severity, ensuring superior care quality.” While this hybrid model is demanding, it allows Heading Health to provide holistic care to those who need it most, enabling more personalized and comprehensive treatment options.
The Role of Ketamine and Spravato® in Treatment
Tankel provides valuable insights into how ketamine and Spravato® treatments work alongside traditional services to improve patient outcomes. Research has shown that these treatments, when combined with therapy, can be significantly more effective than traditional antidepressants. “Many of our patients start with ketamine or Spravato® either through referral or because their other treatments have failed,” he says. However, not all patients start with these treatments. Some begin with psychotherapy or medication management and may transition seamlessly between treatment types as needed. The ability to integrate various forms of treatment is a key feature of Heading Health’s care model, allowing the company to address a wide spectrum of mental health issues.
The integration of psychedelic therapies like ketamine and Spravato® also positions Heading Health at the forefront of a rapidly changing landscape in mental health care. “We understand the patient population who needs these treatments, the infrastructure required, and the care model that values urgent outcomes,” Tankel explains. With a streamlined process for accessing treatments, including immediate access to insurance details and a messaging platform for communication between providers, Heading Health is prepared for the future of psychedelic therapies once they receive broader approval. This blend of traditional therapy with innovative mental health treatments is key to providing patients with a holistic and effective recovery path.
Ensuring Seamless Coordination Across Providers
One of the cornerstones of Heading Health’s success is its ability to ensure seamless coordination and communication among its diverse team of providers. Tankel stresses the importance of a culture of education and collaboration in achieving optimal patient outcomes. “Our environment is structured to encourage, reward, and guide our providers to prioritize urgent outcomes,” he says. Unlike other companies that might emphasize specific treatments for financial reasons, Heading Health takes a more holistic approach, offering a wide array of treatment options without bias.
“We don’t place any single treatment on a pedestal,” Tankel explains. “Instead, we focus on providing a variety of tools and thoroughly communicating evidence-based findings, risk factors, and the synergistic effects of combining treatments.” This collaborative approach ensures that providers are equipped to offer the most effective care for each patient’s unique needs. “Our goal is to shift the behavior of mental health providers,” Tankel adds, “by offering more options and giving them the tools to achieve better outcomes.” This patient-centered, comprehensive approach is what sets Heading Health apart from traditional providers, offering patients access to the best innovative mental health treatments available.
Addressing Cost and Coverage Concerns
The cost of innovative treatments like ketamine has long been a barrier for many patients, but Heading Health has made significant strides in addressing this challenge. Tankel points to the approval of Spravato® and other treatments like TMS as key milestones in making these therapies more affordable for patients. “Securing payer coverage has always been a pressing issue, but the approval of Spravato® has been pivotal in providing affordable treatments,” he says. Heading Health’s in-network model allows the company to offer treatments at lower costs, making them accessible to a broader population.
Looking to the future, Tankel’s goal is to continue collaborating with payers to optimize treatment accessibility. “Our primary goal is to serve the right patients—those who are in desperate need of our care,” he explains. “We need to consistently provide payers with data showing the efficacy of our treatments so they can see the tangible value we’re providing, especially for high-risk patients.” By demonstrating positive outcomes, Heading Health aims to make its treatments even more accessible to those who need them most, while addressing key concerns about the affordability and coverage of innovative mental health treatments.
A Treatment-Agnostic Approach for Better Outcomes
Tankel is particularly passionate about Heading Health’s treatment-agnostic approach, which allows providers to offer a wide variety of treatment options—therapy, psychiatry, ketamine, TMS, and Spravato®—to meet each patient’s needs. This flexibility not only benefits patients but also helps providers achieve better outcomes. “Our multifaceted approach is collaborative and team-based,” Tankel explains. “It allows us to provide quicker recovery for patients and reduce hospitalizations, which is a significant benefit for payers.”
This approach also enables Heading Health to tailor treatments to the severity of each patient’s condition, offering more personalized care and faster recovery times. “By offering a broad range of treatments under one roof, we can make a real impact on the mental health care system,” Tankel says. Patients are empowered to receive the best possible care, and providers are able to leverage innovative mental health treatments to enhance patient outcomes.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Behavioral Health
As the mental health care industry faces rising interest rates and increasing economic pressure, Tankel reflects on how the landscape is changing. “In 2023, the behavioral health industry has been defined by return on investment,” he notes. With heightened scrutiny on how resources are allocated, particularly by payers and employers, there is greater pressure to provide value. “If you’re not adding value or providing a return on investment, you’re at risk of being sidelined,” he warns. For Heading Health, this means continuing to innovate and ensure that every treatment is accessible, effective, and cost-efficient.
Heading Health is leading the charge in transforming mental health care through its comprehensive, affordable, and accessible approach to treatment. By combining cutting-edge therapies with traditional services, the company is positioning itself to meet the growing demand for mental health solutions. As Heading Health continues to collaborate with payers and refine its care model, the future of mental health care looks promising for both patients and providers. The integration of innovative mental health treatments promises to reshape the landscape of mental health recovery, offering hope and healing to more individuals than ever before.
