How a Regence behavioral health care manager helps members find their path to wellness

From a small town in Idaho, Amy Beitia, LCSW, CCM, supports the mental and whole-person health of Regence members across the country—making it her mission for each person to feel heard and understood.

Over the phone, the clinical social worker and behavioral health care manager listens and validates. What’s this person’s goal? What barriers are they facing?  What supports do they need?

Then she coordinates care on their behalf: connecting them to benefits, hunting down resources and information, making appointments for in-network providers and therapists, and even getting on calls with members and their care team to offer extra support—all while building trust.

Her payoff?  

“Outcomes where members get better, when they feel better,” she says. “I enjoy helping people. That potential for change gets me up in the morning.”

Rooted in relationships

Beitia’s journey to a behavioral health care career began at a state mental health office, where she worked at the front desk serving people with severe and persistent mental illness.

“They each have a story to tell that is pretty amazing,” says. “Sometimes they’re unheard because of their diagnosis. People don’t see past that diagnosis and the stigma around it.”

Those daily interactions sparked something in Beitia—she began building relationships with people who came in every week, learning their stories beyond their diagnoses. Inspired by those interactions, she decided to pursue her master’s in social work.

After gaining experience in child protection services and inpatient psychiatric care, Beitia discovered a passion for integrated behavioral health work in primary care settings. During the pandemic, she worked in a pediatric clinic providing consultation to doctors and therapy to children.

As the only behavioral health professional in that rural clinic trying to meet overwhelming demand, she wondered how she could help greater numbers of people. When a Regence care manager position opened up, she found her calling.

The power of integrated care

For the past two years, Beitia has served with the Regence Integrated Behavioral Health Care Management team, where she witnesses firsthand how deeply physical and behavioral health are interconnected.

“Depression affects immune function, chronic pain worsens anxiety, substance use impacts the whole body, and trauma changes brain structure,” she says. “You can’t effectively treat one without considering the other.”

Beitia worked with one member who had gone to the ER multiple times for chest pain, but extensive cardiac testing found nothing wrong. When Beitia talked with them, she learned they were experiencing panic attacks triggered by post-traumatic stress disorder. The physical symptoms were real, she affirmed, but the root cause was behavioral.

She contacted their primary care doctor and connected them to a trusted provider for trauma-focused therapy and a virtual specialist at Heartbeat Health for cardiac care. The member’s chest pains went away, she explains, their healthcare costs went down, and they reported feeling better than they had in years.

“Seeing that change, seeing that outcome,” says Beitia, “is what motivates me every day.”

How a care manager can help you

If you or a family member ever face a new health issue or need help with a complex one, our care managers—experienced registered nurses, behavioral health clinicians, social workers and pharmacists—are here to answer your questions and make sure you get the care you need.

We partner with you and your healthcare team to support a treatment plan based on your needs, support system and benefits. And we take a holistic view of your health, looking at how all the pieces of your care experience work together for you. We may even reach out to you proactively to offer our services.

Get extra support for your health

Regence care managers

• Offer support, information and resources
• Coordinate care among providers and help with transportation
• Answer questions about benefits and health conditions
• Make sure you’re getting the right services
• Help you navigate and manage a new diagnosis
• Help manage a complex or chronic condition

We can help with the heavy lifting of setting up care conversations and appointments—and we can provide recommendations to address any potential gaps in care. You can rest easy knowing we’re working behind the scenes as your advisor, coordinator and health system navigator.

Contact Regence Care Management

Care Management is available with most Regence health plans at no cost to members. There is no specific health criteria you need to meet. Our team is here to help you manage your health with support and confidence. To get started or ask a question, give us a call at the number on the back of your member ID card.