Dr. Caroline Carney of Magellan Health: 5 Things We Must Do To Improve the US Healthcare System

Establishing payment parity between primary care, behavioral health and specialist visits. This has the potential to change the dynamic between primary care physicians and their patients. Primary care providers have to read and act upon tests like X-rays in real time, often before any “official” reading is done by a radiologist. Yet, the radiologist is reimbursed at higher rates. As a nation, we’ve begun to offer student-loan forgiveness to make primary care more attractive as a profession, given the shortage of primary care physicians.

As a part of my interview series with leaders in healthcare, I had the pleasure to interview Caroline Carney, MD, MSc, FAMP, CPHQ, Chief Medical Officer, Magellan Health and Magellan Rx Management.

Dr. Caroline Carney is a board-certified internist and a board-certified psychiatrist. She joined Magellan Health in 2016 and serves as Magellan Health’s Chief Medical Officer, while continuing as chief medical officer for Magellan Rx Management. Her previous experience includes the role of SVP Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Behavioral Health and Magellan Specialty Health. She served as the chief medical officer for regional health plans where she gained experience in Medicaid, Medicare, Exchange, and commercial populations. She has served as the medical director for the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, helping to launch the Medicaid expansion product as well as the behavioral health transformation for the state’s community mental health services. While in Indiana, she served on the Governor’s Mental Health Commission. She is a frequent speaker about behavioral health services, integrated and collaborative care, and the importance of self-care during the pandemic. Dr. Carney is a published author and co-author for over 100 peer and non-peer reviewed publications focusing on issues surrounding comorbid medical and behavioral health…