How Organizations Can Make Tangible Change for Mental Health
These responses are part of a complete interview with health experts from Cerebral, Doctor on Demand and Ginger on mental health. Read the full article and explore the full responses to other important questions.
What are areas where digital innovation in mental health can make tangible changes?
Hsu Evans: What I’m most excited about is technology's ability to help democratize access to mental healthcare. There’s far greater demand for mental health services than there are therapists and psychiatrists in the U.S.; the traditional way of providing mental healthcare won’t solve this problem.
Companies like Ginger are using digital innovations to take the same set of resources and make them available to exponentially more people — ultimately, making it more affordable. Virtual care delivery through a smartphone improves access and convenience; natural language processing can improve care delivery and outcomes; and automation helps ensure that people are provided with the care they need, when they need it.
Ginger's technology allows us to deliver the most appropriate level of care for our members, no matter where they are, right through a smartphone. Every member has clinically-validated self-guided content and behavioral health coaches, who take an active, goal-oriented approach to address a wide array of sub-acute challenges, from sleep, to mood and relationships. At Ginger, behavioral health coaches are available to provide support 24 hours a day, 365 days per year via text-based chat. This meets the needs of more than 80% of Ginger members. When a member needs additional support, a licensed therapist or psychiatrist can be added to their care team.
Benders-Hadi: Digital innovation is making enormous strides in improving access to mental health services. Money, transportation, childcare, and time are all barriers to resources like traditional talk therapy that are being removed or lessened with new digital-first services. We know that these barriers are most prevalent for low income and minority communities, so by removing these barriers digital innovation is also improving health equity across the board.
As a society, we also have a deep history of stigma around asking for help and seeking mental health services. Digital resources are allowing people the freedom to seek the care that they need from the safety and comfort of their own home without having to worry about physically going into an office. It also gives individuals more avenues to engage with various tools and providers until they find the combination that works for them.
Robertson: Mental health services have traditionally been delivered in siloes: Psychiatrists and therapists often work in completely separate practices, so care is seldom coordinated at the member level, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes. Research shows that coordinated care models deliver better short-term and long-term health outcomes. Digital innovation enables a team approach to care where all members can work together to provide coordinated, high-quality care.
If we take that digital innovation a step further, we can enable transparency and cross-functional care across delivery models. For example, it offers the potential to have a virtual mental health partner share data and outcomes with an employee’s primary care provider and other care touchpoints, such as a diabetes coach. Ultimately, there is tremendous potential for improved overall health outcomes if we are able to harness the power of member data by sharing across platforms.