Article | April 08, 2021

Anthem’s Coordinated Care: Mind, Body and Soul

by 
CTA Staff

The coronavirus pandemic has been a health crisis, affecting more than physical well-being. In June 2020, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report stated that 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use. Young adults, people of color and other essential workers and unpaid caregivers were most heavily affected.

For those with mental health and behavioral health concerns — particularly those experiencing conditions for the first time — knowing how and where to access the appropriate support services and care can be daunting.

Health insurance provider and Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® member Anthem aims to help its members understand the resources available to them and to meet the various user needs to help sustain mental and behavioral well-being.

Supporting the Provider and the Provided

The Anthem Foundation, which helps fund mental health programs for communities across the country, Awarded a 2020 grant to Mental Health America and its Screening to Supports program. Screening to Supports offers free, anonymous mental health screenings, results analysis and customized treatment recommendations.

Through the pandemic, Anthem has also offered, and partnered with other organizations to offer, various mental health resources:

  • Psych Hub is a free digital resource to address COVID-19-related mental health needs.
  • AnthemEAP.com is a website where Anthem members can access information to navigate mental health issues and substance use conditions.
  • Aunt Bertha is a leading social care network that helps bring free or reduced-cost social services to individuals and families in their areas.

For providers in the Anthem network, Anthem offers value-based payment initiatives and also provides resources that are particularly helpful for providers of integrated health care. Guidelines and tools from Anthem can help providers better understand and navigate how to assess mental and behavioral well-being for patients, how to be inclusive and mindful of diverse patients, and what resources to recommend for patients with mental illnesses.

This in turn helps patients access better, more informed and more convenient care for mental and behavioral health.

HOPE Plays a Role in Whole Health

Anthem emphasizes that mental and behavioral health conditions are often influenced by other factors, such as food, housing and financial circumstances, which can influence whether patients can find and access the necessary support.

Through its High Outreach to Promote Engagement (HOPE) program, Anthem strives to support the most vulnerable populations, who have the highest rates of multiple chronic conditions and higher patient admissions for behavioral health as well as physical health.

Licensed clinicians who are case managers with the HOPE program help program members understand available health care resources, set up medication schedules, make follow-up appointments and more. Case managers are able to have a broader view of a patient’s whole health, enabling a more well-rounded and trusted support system for those with behavioral and mental well-being conditions.

Anthem continues to work toward creating a system of care that treats physical, behavioral and mental health as one, and supports conversations about how to address stigmas and leverage digital innovations to provide better care.