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When choosing a mental health solution, the ultimate goal is to deliver support for your members quickly. The sooner they see changes in their lives, the better. However, timeliness can’t eclipse quality.
Top-tier care means fast access to quality providers who can help you and your members improve in all aspects of life, including work. Clinical outcomes are one of the most important ways to evaluate mental health solutions.
A mental health solution’s return on investment (ROI) is equally important. It gives you insight into whether an EAP is working and financially sustainable. A better understanding of mental health ROI will help your organization determine if the program saves more than you’ve invested, improves clinical outcomes, and increases productivity at work.
One of the most impactful ways a provider network can improve ROI is by attracting top clinicians. A diverse network of high-quality providers can help your members achieve faster outcomes, reduce turnover, and lower the number of missed workdays.
Measuring ROI: Why it matters
Measuring progress is how we gain confidence in the process. This is true for members as they move along their wellness journey. It’s also true for organizations that want to identify precisely how a provider network supports their growth.
Most employee mental health programs track improvements in health-related behaviors, not spending. Without this information, it’s difficult to be strategic and ensure you’re providing an evidence-based solution.
Tracking ROI can tell you whether or not the mental health benefit you’ve chosen is sustainable. When evaluating mental health ROI, you’ll want to know if the solution is:
- Including the cost of the program in its ROI claims
- Using independently verified, peer-reviewed academic research standards
- Measuring ROI utilizing the organization’s population data
- Showing improvements in clinical outcomes, engagement, and a reduction in the total cost of care
How the right mental health solution can improve ROI
We are the only mental health solution that measures return on investment by tracking productivity, absenteeism, and employee retention. Here’s what we’ve learned from doing this.
Top clinicians lead to faster outcomes
When members are navigating a mental health issue, they often feel stuck. A high-quality provider network could make the difference between seeing improvements in six weeks and six months.
Everyone is different, and each member’s needs will require a unique amount of time. However, having top clinicians available ensures that time is well spent, and your members can feel better faster.
Finding the right fit for your members is essential
Another question you’ll want to answer is: are my employees getting matched with the support they need?
It’s essential that your mental health solution can connect your members to the right care, whether that’s therapy, coaching, medication management, or some combination of these. The quicker they can find a good fit and establish a therapeutic alliance, the sooner their lives will improve.
Sometimes, a provider isn’t a good match, and that’s okay. A little trial and error can be a part of the process. This is where licensed Care Navigators can help the member identify what wasn’t working and narrow down their search. They’re more likely to get it right the next time.
Quality of life drastically improves
In addition to faster outcomes, a network of top clinicians means higher improvement rates. They can help members meet their wellness goals, leading to a domino effect.
Empowerment is a powerful feeling that can create momentum in our lives. When a member overcomes an obstacle or makes positive strides in their mental health, it can boost self-esteem and provide the courage to tackle other challenges they may be facing.
It can also mitigate imposter syndrome and allow them to fully demonstrate their work skills, talents, and expertise.
Members learn coping skills
Top-quality providers help your members build their coping skills "toolbox" to tackle life’s challenges.
Confidence builds as they successfully utilize their toolbox, allowing them to cope and manage their symptoms or feelings quickly when triggering situations occur—either at home or work.
They rebound faster and can progress as their mental strength and flexibility improve.
How we’re attracting top clinicians
Many mental health providers can feel like they exist in a vacuum in their private practice. When they step into the Spring Health network, they’re met with support, community, and exciting opportunities for professional growth.
We offer our providers both guidance and clinical coaching, so they can continually provide high-quality care to our members.
We also provide ongoing professional development opportunities through CEU training, peer consultation hours, case conferences, new provider office hours, and one-on-one clinical case consultations with a Provider Lead.
We invest in them, making them even more excited to invest in your population.
How our members are getting better, faster
Spring Health’s mental health solution has garnered external, independent validation reporting that our customers have shown:
- 2.2x return on investment in overall health plan spend
- Savings of $2,430 per employee within six months of engagement
- Reduced turnover and absenteeism
A recent peer-reviewed study shows that our average time to remission is just 5.9 weeks—twice as fast as other care providers. We use measurement-based care to accurately identify what our members need and ensure they get the guidance they need faster.
Understanding ROI makes the difference
Providing fast access to top providers is a win-win for organizations and individuals. Members improve their mental health more quickly, lowering your organization’s financial burden. This makes ROI an essential component of precision mental healthcare.
Something to take away from this blog is that it’s critical to ensure that a mental health solution’s ROI claims are:
- Including the cost of the solution when talking about savings so that they aren’t just showing cost offsets
- Using the organization’s population data to measure ROI
Mentally healthy people make a mentally healthy company, so it’s important to have insight into whether mental health support is working and financially sustainable.
Decode mental health ROI claims with the Head of Actuarial Analytics at Spring Health, and learn how to cut through the noise and measure true success.
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