As a healthcare provider Responding to soaring demand For behavioral health, New analysis Cigna’s health services subsidiary found that access to outpatient mental health services can have a significant impact on an individual’s cost of care within two years.
Evernorth Behavioral Health found that access to outpatient behavioral health care can reduce a person’s total cost of care by $1,107 to $3,109 within two years. For example, according to the study, timely access to mental health care can reduce emergency room visits and hospitalization. People need to make at least three visits to have a significant impact on the cost of care.
The analysis was conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic. Evernorth reviewed four years of medical, behavioral, and pharmaceutical claims data from January 2016 to March 2020, including approximately 275,000 patients.
The analysis includes populations covered by commercial health plans, personal plans, or family health plans, but does not include elderly patients covered by Medicare. It pays particular attention to people newly diagnosed with behavioral health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or substance use disorders.
Approximately 32% of these patients received outpatient behavioral health treatment, including individual counseling, group counseling or treatment, sometimes combined with medication. 68% of people did not receive any treatment, including medication.
“Our research has identified opportunities to help more people get the behavioral care they need to improve their health, well-being, and productivity, while also reducing costs,” Eva Borden, president of Evernorth Behavioral Health, said in a press release. “This is critical to our efforts to increase the affordability of the plan sponsors.”
A sort of Recent investigations by the Caesars Family Foundation It was found that since the beginning of the pandemic, employers have reconsidered their mental health benefits, some of which have increased opportunities for telemedicine visits or employee assistance programs. Insurance companies also see telemedicine as a means of access-earlier this year, Cigna purchased MDLive, After launching a behavioral health pilot with the company in 2020.
However, according to a report, many patients are still struggling to cope with gaps in coverage and long waits for treatment. Report issued by GAO Earlier this year. A group of senators The long-standing equality law is being carefully studied, which requires insurance companies to provide mental health care with the same level of coverage as physical health care, and some states are increasing their own enforcement efforts. They are also carefully studying rejected claims, labor shortages and racial inequality.
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