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Today we unveiled data from a peer-reviewed study that validates the return on investment (ROI) of employer-sponsored mental health benefits. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, sets a new benchmark in the behavioral health space, and reveals that expanding access leads to substantial healthcare savings for both employers and health plans.
The study supports the credibility of Spring Health’s industry-first ROI performance guarantee, announced in 2024, which assures that each dollar spent on Spring Health’s clinical services save more than a dollar in total healthcare costs.
The study evaluated 13,990 participants from seven different employers who were eligible for Spring Health’s employer-sponsored behavioral health benefit from November 2019 to May 2023. The findings underscore the financial value of providing timely access to behavioral health support–including rapid access to psychotherapy and medication management.
Spring Health’s study employed a gold-standard research methodology, leveraging information on over 150 health conditions to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison between program users and those who instead sought mental healthcare via their health plan. This rigorous approach was assessed and validated by JAMA Network Open’s stringent peer-review process, which accepts only 12% of submissions.
Key findings include:
- 1.9x ROI: For every dollar spent, employers save nearly two dollars in health plan costs, providing $1,070 in net savings per participant in the first year.
- Increased Access to Care: Behavioral health care utilization rose by 47%, with more employees receiving needed care earlier in the care continuum.
- Mental Health Investments Yield Cost Savings: Small increases in mental health care spending were offset by significant reductions in physical health costs, such as hospital visits and emergency room care, totaling a 30% gross cost reduction and 14% net cost reduction.
- Savings Across Chronic Conditions: Significant cost reductions were observed in high-cost conditions like diabetes, chronic pain, and hypertension, emphasizing the interplay between mental and physical health, with higher than average cost reductions.
“While we have long known the efficacy of Spring Health’s benefits in lowering total healthcare costs for employers, this study validates exactly why we advocate for providing personalized, measurable, high quality mental health programs to employees,” says Dr. Adam Chekroud, co-founder and president of Spring Health.
“Our commitment to transparency and openness is not just a value—it’s a strategic advantage. By embracing third-party validation and peer review, we demonstrate our confidence in the quality and integrity of our work.”
Untreated behavioral health conditions cost more than $290 billion annually in the U.S. alone, contributing to chronic illness, preventable hospitalizations, and increased healthcare use. Spring Health’s study reinforces how behavioral health support can improve physical health, reducing medical complications and enhancing quality of life.
With HR leaders facing increasing pressure on budgets, Spring Health’s study addresses a research gap in the cost benefits of employer-sponsored mental health programs and highlights the clear advantages of its clinically effective program.
