January 31, 2023
An estimated one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, according to this 2021 report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). And while one in 20 U.S. adults suffers a serious mental illness each year, one of every six youth aged 6-17—driven in part by social media use—experiences a mental health disorder (JAMA Pediatrics, 2019). Even higher numbers face burnout, which inhibits productivity at work.
We’re in a behavioral health crisis, and the factors that contribute to it—long-term economic uncertainty; social, political and climate upheaval; and ongoing overlapping public health crises—aren’t likely going away anytime soon.
At Asuris, we prioritize mental health and understand its interdependence with physical health. To help address the need, we continue to add new behavioral health practitioners to our network. But there are still barriers to getting help. That’s why we’ve supplemented our provider network with virtual care tools that allow employees and their families to more conveniently receive care outside of traditional brick-and mortar providers.
Virtual tools—specialized app-based, clinically validated digital platforms—can be used by themselves or combined with traditional in-person or telehealth-based therapy to effectively treat the most common behavioral health conditions.
Yet with all the resources available to employees and their families, actual use of virtual care doesn’t match the need.
“We have a lot of work to do to spread the word about these resources,” says Donna Milavetz, MD, MPH and chief medical officer at Asuris. “As effective as our virtual care tools are, members don’t always know where to go when they’re in crisis, and they don’t think about going to their insurance provider. They’re more likely to seek advice from a primary care doctor, or family and friends.” Another key barrier is stigma—the feeling that having a mental or behavioral health problem is somehow shameful and shouldn’t be discussed openly.
“This is especially true among underserved and minority populations,” says Mike Franz, MD, DFAACAP, FAPA, senior medical director for behavioral health at Asuris. “We need to work more closely with the community leaders of those populations, so that we can collaborate on overcoming stigma and break down barriers to seeking care.” He also advocates educating members about recognizing mental health symptoms. “If people don’t know how to spot the symptoms, they won’t know they have a problem and won’t get help.”
Spreading the word about resources, educating employees about symptoms and helping them overcome stigma are all areas where employers can help.
“Mental health issues like major depression and burnout are so prevalent in our market, but we must partner with employers to get their employees connected to the right care in a timely manner,” says Milavetz. “Untreated behavioral health issues result in both absenteeism and presenteeism—when employees actually show up for work but are unproductive. Both can impact an employer’s bottom line.”
“Employers can be instrumental in leading employees and their families to care,” says Franz. “Proactively educating employees about their in-network care options, creating an open, safe and welcoming workplace, and assisting in connecting to the right resources is critical.”
When employees’ mental health isn’t addressed, it can undermine the health of the organization.
“Major depression is one of the top two disabling conditions worldwide,” says Franz. “Furthermore, mental health and physical health are interdependent. People with depression are 40% more likely to develop diabetes while one-third of people with diabetes have major depression.” He adds, “We’ve got to take care of the whole person, and if we don’t then we’re not going to see the whole health outcomes everyone wants.”
Milavetz adds that promoting use of mental health and well-being resources gives employers an advantage in recruiting and retaining talent. “It’s just good for business,” she says. “Human capital is every employer’s most valuable asset. Why wouldn’t you want to invest in keeping your most valuable asset healthy?”
These virtual behavioral health tools are embedded in all group plans unless otherwise noted. Please share information about them with your employees.
AbleTo Therapy+: Unique, clinically proven eight-week therapy program combining telehealth with a licensed therapist and virtual tools to treat depression, anxiety, stress and burnout.
Boulder Care: Offers virtual care and medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders for members aged 18 and older. Boulder Care’s unique model includes peer and social services support.
Charlie Health: Designed for teens and young adults and offers group, family and individual therapy; combines virtual and office options depending on location, and has specialized tracks in dialectical behavior therapy, LGBTQ+, trauma and substance use disorders.
Doctor On Demand (embedded in small (1-50) group plans, available to fully insured 51+ and self-funded groups as a buy-up): Offers 24/7/365 urgent medical care and scheduled behavioral health appointments via video across the country
myStrength (embedded in all 51+ fully insured plans and available as a buy-up for self-funded groups): Provides virtual self-help behavioral health tool for multiple behavioral health diagnoses, including an option for OCD.
NOCD: Specializes in virtual therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) for ages six and older.
Asuris Motivate™: Digital well-being platform that provides personalized guidance and activities proven to support improved health.
Talkspace: Provides digital health modules, coaching, psychotherapy and medication management for ages 13 and older.
Uprise Health EAP (embedded in small group plans (1-50) and available as a buy-up option for all others): Provides digital tools, assessments, coaching and therapy to help employees address minor concerns before they become major health problems.
Employees seeking in-person care from local providers can sign in to their account on asuris.com or the Asuris app, select Find care and Explore Behavioral Health Resources to see the complete list of resources and providers available. Or they can call the Customer Service phone number on the back of their member ID card.
Questions? Please contact your account representative.