Mental Health

This Vendor Engagement Template (VET) supplements questions that may be included in ongoing mental health vendor management discussions. The goal is to help employers and other plan sponsors address issues of mental health access and quality, which are foundational to employer health strategy.

The Path Forward’s top priority is improving access to effective, equitable, affordable, timely mental healthcare. Inadequate access to MH/SU care has generated an alarming and growing crisis in the US. The Path Forward mobilization team is influencing systemic change to improve care and outcomes for all.

In a 2022 study by Gallup, nearly one-fifth of US workers (19%) rated their mental health as fair or poor; those workers reported about four times more unplanned absences due to poor mental health than their peers. Mental health issues in the US workforce cost the economy an estimated $185 billion annually in lost productivity and presenteeism. This Action Brief offers specific steps employers and other plan sponsors can take to raise the bar for high-quality mental healthcare to ensure a more equitable and responsive behavioral health system.

Clinical depression has become one of America’s most costly illnesses, comparable to heart disease. The action steps found in this Action Brief include strategies employers can use to support the needs of people of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Telehealth is an important tool to improve access to care for racially and culturally diverse communities. In this 6-minute video, subject-matter experts share insights about the acceleration of tele-mental health innovation to bridge access gaps.

Depression costs US employers about $187.8 billion each year. Nearly 74% of Americans who seek help for symptoms of depression go to a primary care physician (PCP) rather than a mental health professional, and a diagnosis of depression is missed 50% of the time in a primary care setting. Employers can learn to assess employee population risks and design benefits that lead to early detection and treatment

When a diagnosis of serious mental illness requires hospitalization, extra attention and care is required. Employers can take measures to ensure appropriate care and treatment and lower rates of readmission that lead to lower costs and better outcomes.

Clinical depression has become one of America’s most costly illnesses, comparable to heart disease. The action steps found in this Action Brief include strategies employers can use to support the needs of people of major depressive disorder (MDD).

In a 2022 study by Gallup, nearly one-fifth of US workers (19%) rated their mental health as fair or poor; those workers reported about four times more unplanned absences due to poor mental health than their peers. Mental health issues in the US workforce cost the economy an estimated $185 billion annually in lost productivity and presenteeism.

This Action Brief offers specific steps employers and other plan sponsors can take to raise the bar for high-quality mental healthcare to ensure a more equitable and responsive behavioral health system.