Unprecedented rates of employee burnout, coupled with the pandemic’s psychological burden, have fueled one of the country’s worst mental health crises. Employers have been tasked with an immense responsibility to address employee wellness while also containing productivity losses and a historic quitting spree.
There has been considerable momentum in recent years to address the stigma of mental health in the workplace, and employers have much to be proud of in this area. Discussions about employee mental health and well-being have become commonplace in a very short amount of time.
Today, many organizations are looking to offer a mental health solution as part of their benefits package. It’s no small task given the overwhelming number of options from which to choose. The American Psychiatry Association has estimated that there are now
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The adoption of these virtual care offerings has led to significant progress on the access front; employers looking to provide mental health access to their employees have leaned on the apps because of their scalability.
While access is important, it can no longer be the only factor considered by employers seeking a mental health solution. They must go a step further and consider options that measure for improved outcomes, especially given many of these new-to-market virtual solutions have no research to support their efficacy and struggle with utilization and user retention.
Employer clients have a unique opportunity to be active in this effort with your assistance, but in order to do so successfully they must look beyond checking a box and ponder whether the solution they chose to invest in actually ladders up to their goals. If the aim is to make people better, where is the proof?
Data-driven care improves outcomes
Mental health care has lagged behind much of physical healthcare when it comes to using data to determine treatment and monitor progress. In physical medicine, measurements such as blood sugar and A1C are industry-standard when assessing a patient with diabetes; the same goes for range of motion for musculoskeletal conditions. The odds of a patient getting better are far less when no one is tracking outcomes, and yet, only 14% of mental health providers reported regular use of
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Hope is on the horizon.
Outcomes measurement tools such as Tridiuum can be instrumental in ensuring therapists are delivering the best care possible. These tools leverage patient-reported information to set goals and track progress, enabling patients and therapists to work together in a more productive way. Not only does outcomes-tracking allow therapists to personalize their treatment approach and course-correct, but it is equally helpful for patients to feel engaged and invested in their treatment.
Harnessing the power of therapeutic alliance
In addition to the routine use of outcomes measurement tools, evaluating the strength of the patient-provider relationship is another key aspect of effective mental health care. This is something that is still trying to be solved for in many of the newer mental health solutions, especially when there is no human point of contact involved.
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Outcomes transparency
While no one entity has the power to fix today’s mental health crisis, we all have a part to play in rejecting the lack of standardized measurement and goal-setting that has made it nearly impossible to measure progress and improve outcomes in mental health care.
Employers managing through the epidemic of mental health issues faced by their employees are actively seeking solutions that can provide access while also demonstrating objective health improvement at scale.
Outcomes transparency is critical for validating and comparing the plethora of mental health solutions that have flooded the market. More importantly, it is also the basis for driving meaningful outcomes for patients.
