About this Event
For health plan executives and policymakers, improving outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) takes more than clinical intervention—it requires meaningful member engagement. Without it, care plans often falter, leading to preventable hospitalizations, avoidable emergency department use, and rising costs.
Adults with an SMI diagnosis incur nearly three times the health care costs of those without, often due to unmanaged co-occurring conditions and poor treatment adherence. These challenges can be mitigated through proactive, person-centered engagement strategies that improve access, strengthen adherence, and drive better outcomes.¹
In this webinar, Stuart Buttlaire, former Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine at Kaiser Permanente, and Rick D. Gutierrez, former Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Operations at Easterseals Southern California, share real-world case studies and explore how innovative engagement models are transforming SMI care—addressing adherence barriers, improving access, and reducing total cost of care.
Reference: 1. Heather Saunders, R. E. (2025, April 11). 5 key facts about Medicaid coverage for adults with mental illness. KFF. https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-adults-with-mental-illness/
Featuring
Stuart Buttlaire, Ph.D., Vice President, Clinical Excellence and Leadership, OPEN MINDS*
Stuart Buttlaire brings over 35 years of executive, clinical, and policy experience to OPEN MINDS. Dr. Buttlaire has experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare providing leadership and direction in healthcare delivery. His career has focused on advancing integrated behavioral health and addiction medicine through strategic innovation, system redesign, quality improvement, and sustainable policy reform.
Previously, Dr. Buttlaire was the Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine for Kaiser Permanente. In this role, Dr. oversaw a $200 million portfolio serving 4.6 million members across 23 emergency departments and 33 medical centers. He led development and operations across inpatient, ambulatory, emergency, call center, and contracted community services, supporting more than 2,500 mental health and substance use disorder providers.
Rick D. Gutierrez, Ph.D., Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS*
Rick Gutierrez, Ph.D. brings over 20 years of clinical and operational experience to the OPEN MINDS team. His unique blend of experience has allowed him to drive impactful outcomes in the developmental disability and behavioral health fields.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Dr. Gutierrez served as Vice President, Clinical Strategy & Operations at Easterseals Southern California. In this role he oversaw the outpatient Applied Behavior Analysis provider network and Enhanced Care Management in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Gutierrez also oversaw START Crisis services, behavioral services for all residential services, negotiation and management of contracts with network providers and payers, and intake and customer service functions including revenue cycle management, benefits and eligibility, and authorization teams. In addition, he developed and monitored the implementation of a strategic plan in collaboration with the Chief Clinical Officer.
Arden Arslanyan, PharmD, Director, Managed Market Liaison, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.*
Arden Arslanyan, PharmD, has held various clinical roles within Express Scripts supporting Medicare, Commercial, and Workers’ Comp lines of business. He attended Nova Southeastern University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship program in medical information in conjunction with Rutgers and Janssen Scientific Affairs.
*Stuart Buttlaire and Rick D. Gutierrez are paid consultants of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI). Arden Arslanyan is an employee of OAPI.
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