External Affairs Director

Bamboo Bridge(R) delivers market-leading behavioral healthcare navigation - improving access, outcomes and system efficiency. Trusted by leading health systems, health plans and community providers, Bamboo Bridge(R) harnesses Real-Time Care Intelligence(TM) and curated behavioral health networks to deliver proven results - reducing avoidable ED visits, expanding timely access to care and easing workforce burdens with AI-driven insights. Louisville, KY - Dec. 3, 2025 - Bamboo Health(TM), the leader in Real-Time Care Intelligence(TM), has launched Bamboo Bridge(R), a breakthrough behavioral healthcare navigation solution designed to connect high-need, high-cost patients to the right level of care. The AI-enabled platform uniquely combines intelligent patient care coordination with curated, high-quality behavioral health provider networks and dedicated expert care navigators to proactively close behavioral health gaps, reduce avoidable healthcare costs and support both value-based care (VBC) and fee-for-service (FFS) arrangements. Behavioral health needs are prevalent and accelerating, with demand projected to rise 53% over the next decade. Yet two-thirds of Americans with a diagnosed mental health condition still go untreated - driven by provider shortages and access barriers. Patients with unmet needs often overutilize costly settings, straining limited resources. According to Milliman, these individuals cost the system 3.5 times more than those without an underlying behavioral health condition. "Providers and health plans are often the first to recognize when an individual needs behavioral health support, but without the right tools, ensuring these individuals quickly receive effective care is a persistent challenge," said Jeff Smith, CEO of Bamboo Health. "Bamboo Bridge changes that dynamic - combining intelligent care coordination with curated networks of high-quality providers to ensure successful placement and care completion at pivotal moments when timely, coordinated care makes all the difference." Bamboo Bridge: Real-Time Behavioral Health Navigation Bamboo Bridge is a turnkey solution that deploys rapidly, extending navigation capacity without requiring additional staff. It ensures timely patient placement and improved outcomes through a comprehensive approach that enables providers and health plans to: * Identify and engage high-need, high-cost patients at pivotal moments using Real-Time Care Intelligence enhanced by AI-driven analytics and predictive modeling. * Navigate patients to the right level of care from post-discharge, emergency departments and primary care referrals, leveraging curated, state-specific behavioral health networks that prioritize in-network providers to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time. * Reduce avoidable ED and inpatient utilization by proactively identifying and intervening with high-risk patients when they are most receptive to interventions. * Integrate seamlessly into existing workflows with EHR-embedded navigation, ADT-based activation and optional PDMP-enabled support. * Drive clinical and financial results for both VBC and FFS arrangements, including improvements in HEDIS measures, appropriate risk coding and network placement. * Extend Care Team Capacity with AI-enabled triage and automation paired with human-led navigation, alleviating workforce burden without adding staff. Results from Bamboo Bridge programs with leading provider groups and health plans, such as Privia Medical Group - Georgia, CareSource and Tufts Medicine, demonstrate unparalleled improvements in access, utilization and network retention for high-need, high-cost individuals with underlying behavioral health conditions: * 20% reduction in avoidable inpatient and ED encounters * 64% of patients with a validated screening assessment and intake completed * 28% increase in behavioral health services retained within Privia's network "Behavioral health has always been a priority for our organization," said Ryan Graham, Vice President of Practice Operations & Value-Based Care at Privia Health. "We needed a scalable, proactive approach to ensure patients could access the right care at the right time, especially during critical transition points. With Bamboo Bridge, we've seen measurable improvements in both patient outcomes and operational efficiency, and we're excited to expand the program as a sustainable solution moving forward." By uniting human expertise, technology-enabled efficiency, and the nation's most powerful care collaboration network, Bamboo Bridge equips providers and health plans to engage patients at pivotal moments, improve access to appropriate care, and achieve measurable clinical and financial outcomes. To learn more about how Bamboo Bridge can improve behavioral health for complex patient populations, visit bamboohealth.com/solutions/bamboo-bridge/. About Bamboo Health Bamboo Health improves lives during pivotal care moments by empowering healthcare organizations to deliver better physical and behavioral health outcomes. As the market leader in Real-Time Care Intelligence(TM) and behavioral healthcare navigation, Bamboo Health provides a single, unified platform that transforms billions of care moments into life-improving actions. By integrating AI-powered insights with human-led navigation, Bamboo connects today's fragmented healthcare system to enable seamless, high-quality, cost-effective whole-person care. From coast to coast, Bamboo Health, Inc. drive innovation for health systems, providers, health plans, pharmacies and state agencies through the nation's most powerful care collaboration network - partnering with 100% of the top 10 hospitals, every major retail pharmacy chain, 52 states and territories, and more than half of the country's largest health plans, supporting over 1 billion patient encounters annually. Connect with Bamboo Health on LinkedIn, X and Facebook. Visit BambooHealth.com to learn more. Media Contact: Pushkin PR on behalf of Bamboo Health Audrey Chittick [email protected]

State of Ohio Taps Bamboo Health to Reduce Fatal Drug Overdoses. by Fred Pennic 03/21/2025 Leave a Comment. Image by freepikWhat You Should Know: – In a proactive effort to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic and reduce drug overdose fatalities, Bamboo Health™, a leader in Real-Time Care Intelligence™, is partnering with the State of Ohio to strengthen its prescription drug monitoring system, the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS). – The strategic collaboration will introduce a critical new feature, OD Insights™, designed to alert healthcare providers within their existing workflows if a patient has a prior history of drug overdoses.OD Insights to Reduce Fatal Drug OverdosesResearch has consistently demonstrated that individuals who have experienced a non-fatal drug overdose are at a significantly heightened risk of a subsequent, fatal overdose. OD Insights™, integrated into Bamboo Health’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program suite, aims to improve care coordination and empower emergency departments to connect high-risk patients with the most appropriate treatment options, including access to medication for opioid use disorder and other essential tools for overdose prevention.By seamlessly integrating into OARRS, OD Insights provides timely and relevant data to support informed clinical decision-making, while maintaining the stringent safeguards that protect prescription data. This enhancement allows providers to securely access a patient’s controlled substance use history at the point of care, enabling them to make more informed prescribing decisions as part of a comprehensive, multi-faceted response to the opioid crisis.Providing healthcare providers with the ability to readily identify high-risk patients has the potential to be life-saving. Data from the Ohio Board of Pharmacy reveals the urgency of this intervention:In 2022, at least 32% of Ohioans who died from an unintentional drug overdose had a prior history of a non-fatal overdose.26% of those who suffered a fatal overdose in 2022 received a prescription for a controlled substance from a healthcare provider within 60 days of their death.“The Ohio Board of Pharmacy continues to be at the forefront of leveraging technology to address the opioid epidemic,” said Ross Armstrong, Chief Commercial Officer at Bamboo Health