Dr. Kristi Kovacs is the Chief Clinical Officer and Co-founder of Behavioral Health Solutions (BHS). She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and brings a blend of research, program evaluation, clinical, and policy development experience to the behavioral healthcare field. Early in her career, Dr. Kovacs worked in research and program evaluation, with a focus on recidivism, re-entry programs, and the antecedents of substance use and addiction.

For the past eight years, Dr. Kovacs has worked at BHS developing behavioral programming and services for patients with behavioral complexities in post-acute care settings, including individuals with major neurocognitive disorders, serious mental illness, substance use disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and other co-occurring mental health and behavioral conditions. Her work has centered on helping providers manage and stabilize high-acuity patients in place, reducing unnecessary psychiatric and acute care utilization while improving quality of care and outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Kovacs has partnered with Health Departments and Medicaid agencies in Nevada, Utah, Montana, Washington, Kansas, New Mexico, and Nebraska to develop policy and value-based programs rooted in best practices. This work has included creating funding models and service frameworks that support the transition of behaviorally complex patients from psychiatric hospitals and acute care settings into post-acute care and the community. A major focus of her work has been on high utilizers and other vulnerable individuals who often cycle between hospitals, homelessness, incarceration, and the streets, with the goal of building more effective, sustainable systems of care.