Getting to Know: Community Care Behavioral Health Chief Medical Officer Geoffrey Neimark, MD

Getting to Know is an ongoing series from Behavioral Healthcare Executive that highlights executives and organizations in behavioral health and addiction treatment who are on the rise and making a difference. Today, we meet Geoffrey Neimark, MD, chief medical officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, a not-for-profit behavioral health managed care organization based in Pittsburgh.

Neimark was elevated into his current position in June after serving as associate vice president, a role in which he oversaw multiple clinical teams. A board-certified psychiatrist, Neimark joined Community Care in 2019, and his tenure has also included stints as senior medical director and regional medical director.

What is your leadership philosophy?

I believe leadership requires a dynamic approach that embraces flexibility, responsiveness and action. For example, I tend to be inclusive though I realize that decisions do not require consensus. Leaders also need to be able to discern the different styles that their supervisees may require—some need more support while others need more direction—there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Leaders also need to be active not passive. When there is a problem, they need to lean into it. It’s better to try and make a mistake than to not do anything at all. Finally, leaders need to embrace humility as they are rarely the smartest people in the room—the good ones learn from everyone and empower other leaders within their organization.

If you could go back 5-10 years in your career, what is one lesson you’ve learned since then that you wish you could tell your past self?

Delegate more. There are plenty of talented people within your organization who you are depriving of opportunity by taking more things on (and making your own life more difficult). Disconnect on vacations. Don’t take your cell phone. It will compromise your vacation and you won’t be effective in solving problems. It’s a lose-lose. Disconnect. You will be thankful you did.

If your organization achieves significant growth over the next 5 years, it will be because… 

We continue to build on the core values upon which Community Care was founded and embodied in our mission—wellness partnership, outcomes—while responding to the evolving landscape of behavioral health including integrated core, expanding role of technology and more focus on the social determinants of health

The biggest challenge facing our field as a whole today is…

The increasing demand for behavioral services—the CDC found that 4 out of 10 American adults reported experiencing anxiety or depression during the pandemic—and the challenges in sustaining, developing and growing the workforce necessary to support such needs.

What challenge keeps you up at night?

The rising number of overdose deaths—over 90,000 are projected for 2020. Despite some significant advances including work on reducing stigma, expanding access to substance use treatment, and enhanced provision of medication-assisted treatment, there is still a lot more that needs to be done.

What drives your personal commitment to our field? What is your inspiration?

I owe my opportunities to a public sector human and behavioral health system which worked and allowed me to become who I am, and I want to make sure that others have similar opportunities.

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GETTING TO KNOW…Community Care Behavioral Health

Website: ccbh.com

Founded: 1997

Services offered: Payer for behavioral health, substance use disorders, recovery programs, community and school-based behavioral health teams

Number of locations: 41 counties in Pennsylvania

Number of staff: Over 650

Total patient capacity: Serving more than 1 million members throughout Pennsylvania

Payment methods accepted: No direct payment necessary as members pay through Medicaid

Billing services vendor: UPMC MC400

EHR vendor: PsychConsult for BHMCO

Laboratory services vendor: Various laboratories enrolled in Medicaid in Pennsylvania and contracted to provide laboratory services on behalf of behavioral healthcare service providers

Marketing services provider:  Not allowed to market, per rules of Medicaid

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Interested in having your organization and its leaders featured in an upcoming edition of Getting to Know? Email BHEGettingToKnow@naccme.com for details.