Access & Affordability: Exploring SMI Coverage & Trends In The U.S. Behavioral Health System

Cathy Gilbert brings over 20 years of health care industry experience to the OPEN MINDS team. Ms. Gilbert currently serves as a Senior Associate at OPEN MINDS. Her areas of expertise include advanced project leadership skills, training development, health care processing systems, policy development, and implementation to ensure compliance with accreditation requirements.

Before joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Gilbert served as the Vice President II, Network Development at Magellan Healthcare Inc. During her role there she directed a national team to support network development and provider relations for health plans, employers, Medicare, and Medicaid. Also, Ms. Gilbert led a network operations team responsible for credentialing, provider data maintenance, rate management, and contract administration for all networks. She supported responses for sales opportunities and represented the network at client and sales meetings.

Previously, Ms. Gilbert served as the Assistant Vice President of Network Operations with Beacon Health Options in Latham, NY. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing provider file maintenance, provider file configuration, and provider credentialing. Ms. Gilbert also implemented an audit function to improve provider file accuracy and led a process to reduce the initial file credentialing backlog by 45%.

Prior to her work with Beacon Health Options, Ms. Gilbert served as the Vice President of Provider Relations at Beacon Health Options/ValueOptions Inc. in Wixom, MI. Ms. Gilbert led and participated in internal and external committees including credentialing, policies and procedures, provider satisfaction, provider stakeholders, and quality management. She also led network development projects for new client implementations and network expansions. Ms. Gilbert designed and implemented a departmental training program for new and current staff.

Ms. Gilbert earned her Master of Science Administration, Health Services at Central Michigan University. Prior to earning her master’s degree, Ms. Gilbert earned her Bachelor of Science, Social Work at Eastern Michigan University.

Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive expertise and a wide range of experience in health plan management, clinical operations management, and technology. A recognized thought leader among her peers, Ms. Hicks is a regular keynote speaker at industry conferences and association meetings, as well as an author of hundreds of articles and resources for professionals in both clinical and executive roles.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system. She served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, UPMC’s managed behavioral health organization responsible for $800 million in annual revenue. At Community Care, Ms. Hicks was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations, including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. She also managed the day-to-day operations of human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.

Ms. Hicks also served in a variety of tech leadership roles for UPMC. In 2002, she was appointed as the Vice President of Technology Strategy for the UPMC Insurance Services Division before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, a leading provider of electronic health record software for behavioral health and social service organizations. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth and profitability of the company and the direction of software development. In addition, Ms. Hicks was the President of U Squared Interactive, a UPMC-owned organization with the exclusive United States rights to Beating The Blues – the renowned computerized cognitive behavioral therapy solution for treating anxiety and depression.

Ms. Hicks started her impressive career as a psychiatric social worker and an Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.

Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA.

Arden Arslanyan, PharmD, is a Managed Market Liasion with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC). Arden has held various clinical roles within Express Scripts supporting Medicare, Commercial, and Workers’ Comp lines of business. He attended Nova Southeastern University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship program in medical information in conjunction with Rutgers and Janssen Scientific Affairs.