The Mental Health Epidemic
Every day, your co-workers, friends, and family struggle to maintain their mental wellness. Financial stress, health worries, and other issues of daily life - many exacerbated by COVID-19 - can fracture the façade that “everything is OK.” Depression and anxiety commonly shadow chronic conditions such as cancer, cardiac disease and even diabetes.
Sadly, some of us don’t recognize the signs of mental health issues in ourselves, or loved ones. The stigma of mental health disorders is slowly eroding, but open discussion and care only begin with proper assessment.
Mental health issues are incorrectly diagnosed in 87% of cases, and as many as 42% of cases are never diagnosed at all
If not properly identified, diagnosed, and treated, mental health issues disrupt work and family life. Additionally, untreated mental health issues drive up medical and pharmacy costs by as much as 80% more than for those whose mental health is well managed. More concerning, untreated depression can become highly debilitating and cause feelings of helplessness, resulting all too often in suicidal thoughts and actions.
Lacking appropriate tools, primary care doctors - the most common practitioners to diagnose mental health issues - make an incorrect diagnosis in 87% of cases, and as many as 42% of cases are never diagnosed at all.
The Key to Care for Mental Wellness
The first step in successfully treating mental wellness issues is getting the right diagnosis.
We provide a quick and easy questionnaire that assesses a patient’s mental wellness and identifies specific areas of clinical concern. After answering a few questions in the online tool, plan members are connected to the help they need, whether that is a series of online videos and self-help resources, or a professional who can provide a complete and accurate diagnosis and appropriate medical care. If medical care is warranted, the screening results can be provided so that the most accurate diagnosis can be made every time.
Help Lift the Mental Wellness Burden from Your Plan and Your Members
The costs of untreated or misdiagnosed mental health issues – in terms of people’s lives and your plan dollars – are real but often disguised.
Untreated mental health issues increase medical and pharmacy costs by as much as 80%
The screening assessment helps reduce medical and pharmacy costs. As members are screened and the right diagnosis identified, members receive the right care the first time, avoiding ineffective and costly treatments. Members with properly managed mental health issues have fewer primary care visits, lower costs for expensive drug therapies, and reduced chronic care treatment costs. Plans also see improving member health and wellness, and reductions in absenteeism.