Osmind

01/12/2026

VNS therapy exists because a scientist went to Lamaze class with his pregnant wife...

In the 1980s, neuroscientist Jake Zabara was studying the vagus nerve in dogs when he started attending childbirth preparation classes.

Sitting there learning breathing techniques, he asked a question most people wouldn't think to ask: How does controlled breathing actually reduce the pain of contractions?

His hypothesis: the vagus nerve, running from the diaphragm to the brain, was the pathway.

He went back to his lab, isolated the vagus nerve in dogs, and started stimulating it directly. The rest became the foundation for a treatment that now helps patients with severe, treatment-resistant depression.

Another example of serendipity in psychiatry. The biggest breakthroughs often come from paying attention to the small, strange observations.

Learn more about Vagus Nerve Stimulation and keep your finger on the pulse of the future of psychiatry. Listen to the full episode on Psychiatry Tomorrow.
This episode features William Sauvé, MD, Lucian Manu, M.D., Carlene MacMillan, MD, FCTMSS,DFAACAP

Search your podcast player or find the link below.

12/12/2025

Happy 4th Osmoversary to Michael Bartimer! 🎉**

Four years ago, Michael cold-emailed us after spotting our YC announcement, eager to join an early-stage mental health startup and do whatever it took to make an impact. That scrappy energy has defined his entire Osmind journey.

From his early days in Customer Success to becoming our Sr. RevOps Manager, Michael has been the ultimate connector—building the automations, tooling, and AI-powered workflows that keep our systems running smoothly and finding signal amidst noise. He has a knack for finding signal in the noise and the fulcrum points that make everything easier.

Recently, Michael was recognized as a top RevOps leader and featured in Times Square, a well-deserved spotlight for someone who's been quietly powering Osmind behind the scenes since nearly day one.

Here's to four years of hustle, innovation, and being an OG Osmo. Cheers, Michael! 🥳

12/10/2025

Here's what you missed this month in the Osmind Psychiatry Collective, a community of 2,500+ innovative practitioners advancing interventional psychiatry through case discussions, treatment protocols, and peer consultation.

📡 Medicare telehealth regulation changes (live event): Members discussed upcoming virtual practice requirements and billing implications during a focused session on regulatory challenges. Key insights on avoiding inadvertent Medicare fraud with clear compliance guidance.

💊 GLP-1 medications in psychiatry (Clinical Coffee Chat): We explored using GLP-1s for alcohol use disorder and other mental health condition, and foundational lifestyle interventions.

🧠 Complex case management strategies (live event with Dr. William Sauve): Members shared clinical perspectives on treating challenging psychiatric cases, highlighting creative treatment approaches and maintaining therapeutic alliances during patient crises.

📅 November wrap-up & December planning: November’s theme was all about practice management. Members are planning for mental health during the holidays and goals for the upcoming year.

Ready to join your peers inside the Psychiatry Collective? Free with the link below 👇

12/03/2025

When Dr. Martha Koo interviews candidates for her interventional psychiatry practice, she doesn't ask about their resume. She puts them back-to-back with a stranger and hands one of them a picture.

"Describe this so they can draw it. You can't see what they're drawing."
"There's a difference between 'draw a circle on the page' versus 'can you draw a circle, maybe the size of a quarter, in the exact center middle of the page,'" she explains.

She's watching for precision. Patience when the other person struggles. Whether they blame or adjust.

Dr. Koo has been running TMS practices for 15 years. Her first technician? Now runs recruiting for her entire organization.

She stopped filtering for credentials a long time ago.

"There is no standardized TMS certification, no standardized esketamine certification," says William Sauvé, MD, who co-founded practices that became Greenbrook TMS.

"You're going to have to train those people yourself."

We polled the Osmind Psychiatry Collective: what matters most in a new hire? Empathy came in first. Technical skill came in dead last.

"Nobody comes to this clinic because they're feeling great and everything's going perfect," Dr. Sauvé tells his staff. "You need people who can resolve things and not get upset when things get a little chaotic."

You can teach someone to run a TMS machine. You can't teach them to stay calm when a patient with treatment-resistant depression gets frustrated at session 15.

Drs. Koo and Sauvé share their full hiring framework, including interview exercises, scoring rubrics, onboarding checklists. We turned it into a guide:

Two interventional psychiatrists share their complete hiring playbook, from who to hire first, to interview exercises that reveal fit. Downloadable template included.

12/02/2025

Osmind leadership, including Lucia Huang, Jimmy Qian, and William Sauve, presented a webinar as part of Cantor Fitzgerald's biotechnology webinar series "Let's Do Some Psychedelics!" led by Josh Schimmer.

With rapid advances in psychedelics research and drug development, the care delivery ecosystem must prepare to offer these new treatment modalities upon FDA approval.

Equities coverage has not traditionally focused as much on a deep understanding of clinic infrastructure, so we were pleased to provide these insights to Cantor's clients as they analyze the dynamic interventional psychiatry sector. Thanks to Josh Schimmer and the Cantor Fitzgerald team for the opportunity.

11/24/2025

As psychedelic medicines continue to move closer to FDA approval, the field needs to start laying the groundwork for commercial launch, patient access, and clinic support.

Our co-founder Jimmy Qian shared perspectives at CNS Summit earlier this month on what we're learning across the ecosystem: working with 800+ interventional psychiatry practices, conducting the first real-world evidence study from legal Oregon psilocybin services, collaborating with biopharma on launch preparation and commercial development, and engaging with government stakeholders on infrastructure needs.

The field is evolving fast. Thanks to CNS Summit for bringing together the researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders pushing this work forward.

11/21/2025

Psychiatry can be isolating. Even when you're leading a multi-site practice. Martha B. Koo, M.D., LFAPA, FASAM, FCTMSS is Chief Medical Officer of Your Behavioral Health, overseeing multiple clinics across Southern California. She joined The Psychiatry Collective for the research and clinical discussions, but stayed for the community.

"It's the real-time live interaction. My favorite is the clinical lounge, exchanging ideas. The research hub, staying on point with current research and best practices."

Martha discovered metabolic psychiatry through discussions in the community. "It really helped me know what others are doing and keeps me on the forefront of things to add in my practice." The result? She's implementing new approaches she learned directly from peers who are using them in real clinical settings.

"Being part of the collective has absolutely enhanced my practice. It's mainly given me such a sense of community... it really feels supportive. It's just invaluable."

If you're looking to stay current without the isolation, join The Psychiatry Collective and connect with psychiatrists who are actively advancing their practices.

11/19/2025

You hit 70% capacity and stay there. Wait times in your market are 3-6 months.

We asked psychiatrists and PMHNPs across the country what's blocking their schedules.

The bottleneck is how referrals flow, how you're positioned online, and whether you've built systems to handle growth.

3 things practitioners say actually work:
1. Call hospitals directly. Monthly.

Mary (Virginia PMHNP): "Hospital discharges will wait 6 months to refer internally, and I have availability within a 2-week window."

Her fix: Call discharge coordinators every month. Don't wait to be discovered.

2. Hire before you feel ready

David (Chicago psychiatrist, overfull for 15 years): "I've often thought about hiring but figured I'd be trading one kind of work for another. But all the smart people I know have practices with people they supervise."

The math: 1 psychiatrist + 1 NP = 1.9x capacity.

Alternative: Hire a therapist/case manager first to handle measurement-based care. More affordable than hiring another prescriber.

3. Get visible where patients actually search

Psychology Today, Therapy Tribe, Google Business Profile, and SEO for interventional treatments (TMS, ketamine, Spravato).

We wrote a full guide covering hospital referral scripts, tech stack for scaling, AI intake tools, regional market strategies, and more.

What's been your best patient acquisition channel?

Psychiatry practices stay at 70% capacity even with 3-6 month market wait times because referral networks prioritize internal pipelines and practitioners aren't visible where patients search. Here's how to get more patients through direct hospital outreach, strategic online listings (Psychology Toda...

11/14/2025

hat's a wrap on BHT2025! 🌊
Osmind was proud to sponsor three days in San Diego with innovators, clinicians, and advocates working to advance behavioral health through technology.

Big takeaways: Tracking data is only valuable if we measure what actually matters to patients. And proactive outreach (reaching people before crisis) changes how we think about access to care. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

At Osmind, we're building tools that help psychiatrists deliver evidence-based, measurement-driven care that focuses on outcomes that matter. Conferences like this remind us why that work is so important.

Thanks to everyone who made Behavioral Health Tech such a thought-provoking few days.

11/11/2025

This Veterans Day, we honor those who serve and those who care for them.

At Osmind, we're privileged to support clinicians and researchers working to advance PTSD treatment, from ketamine therapy to new interventional approaches.

Special thanks to William Sauvé, MD, who served 11 years as an active duty Navy psychiatrist before joining us as Chief Medical Officer. Thank you for your service, Dr. Will.

11/07/2025

Here's what you missed this month in the Osmind Psychiatry Collective, a community of 2,500+ innovative practitioners advancing interventional psychiatry through case discussions, treatment protocols, and peer consultation:

•TMS and ketamine treatment strategies: Members discussed Medicaid coverage for TMS, alternating TMS and ketamine for MDD and postpartum depression, and the potential of VNS. William Sauvé, MD shared insights on a systematic review examining depression treatment costs.

•L*D microdosing research: William Sauvé, MD shared findings from an open-label trial on L*D microdosing for depression, while Dr. Brittany Albright discussed a systematic review on ketogenic diet's impact on depressive symptoms.

•Ketamine for PTSD real-world evidence: L. Alison McInnes MD, MS presented large-scale ketamine infusion therapy data for PTSD, highlighting significant response rates and clinical implementation strategies.

•Patient acquisition strategies wrap-up: The October theme concluded with polls and discussions on improving patient workflows and practice growth tactics that actually work.

•CGMs in psychiatry discussion: Members explored using continuous glucose monitors for psychiatric symptom management, diving into the metabolic-psychiatric connection.

•Community growth: 28 new members joined, bringing fresh perspectives and expanding the network of forward-thinking clinicians.

Stay tuned for Novembers theme: Hiring and retention for your growing psychiatry practice!

Ready to join the conversation? Join using the links in comments below 👇

11/06/2025

You never know which conversation will spark a wave of transformation in behavioral health care.

That's why Osmind is sponsoring the Behavioral Health Tech Conference 2025. As a Public Benefit Corporation serving 800+ independent psychiatry practices, we've seen how technology and collaboration make mental health treatment more accessible, and we know the best ideas come from bringing the right people together.