In 2024, behavioral health providers faced scrutiny from lawmakers, states planned big investments in behavioral care and agencies announced new payment policies and regulations in the industry. 

Two Arizona behavioral health clinic owners pleaded guilty to $3.3 million in billing fraud. 

The number of drug-related emergency department visits increased by about 6% from 2022 to 2023, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

A growing number of emergency room visits are related to mental health emergencies, and hospitals are adapting to keep up. 

An audit by HHS' Office of Inspector General found Indiana made at least $56 million in improper payments for autism treatment. 

An 80-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital has opened in Indio, Calif., the Desert Sun reported Dec. 18. 

Here are 20 behavioral health facilities, outpatient programs and inpatient units that closed in 2024: 

Fifty-one percent of psychologists said they are seeing an increase in the severity of symptoms among their patients, according to an American Psychological Association report.

CMS has selected Michigan, New York, Oklahoma and South Carolina to participate in a new model aimed at improving behavioral and physical health outcomes. 

San Francisco is requesting $144 million to add 175 more behavioral health treatment beds, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Dec. 16. 

Behavioral health has historically been "squishy," according to Rogers Behavioral Health CEO Cindy Meyer.

UnitedHealthcare is "strategically limiting" access to applied behavior analysis for children with autism, according to a Dec. 13 report from ProPublica. 

McKinsey and Co. will pay $650 million to resolve criminal and civil investigations into its work with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma. 

FBI agents raided two autism treatment centers in Minnesota as part of an investigation into alleged Medicaid fraud, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported Dec. 12. 

A significant rise in adult ADHD diagnoses is being seen across the U.S., particularly among individuals aged 30 and older, as changing attitudes toward mental health and the growth of telemedicine have made diagnosis and treatment more accessible, The New York Times reported Dec. 11. 

Summit Behavioral Health will open a new facility in Fort Wayne, Ind. in early 2025. 

Hospitals and health systems invested in new inpatient and outpatient behavioral health projects in 2024, and new substance use treatment and other clinics opened across the U.S. 

California lawmakers introduced legislation to require social media companies to display warnings about potential mental health risks 

West Palm Beach-based HCA Florida JFK North Hospital is facing scrutiny from local officials after it stopped accepting Baker Act hospitalized children younger than 12, The Palm Beach Post reported Dec. 10.

CMS will bump payment rates for inpatient behavioral health services and make other adjustments to reimbursement in 2025.