In today’s busy, on-demand world, more employers are offeringonline or telemedicine services to employees to give them theability to speak with a psychiatrist or nurse practitionerremotely.

Telemedicine is not only convenient foremployees who don’t have to take time off work for an appointment,but also helps employers reduce the cost of hospitalizations. Whiletwo-thirds of employers currently offer employees access totelemedicine services, that number is expected to increase to90 percent by 2018.

One popular form of telemedicine is telepsychiatry, a clinicalmodel that uses videoconferencing to provide psychiatry and mentalhealth services, such as evaluations, consultations and ongoingtreatment. It allows employees to receive mental health carethrough live, interactive communication with a licensed provider ina private setting, whether that’s at work, at home or in a healthcare facility. Telepsychiatry is particularly useful given thesevere shortage of psychiatrists, which limits access to criticalcare and results in long wait times.

Impact of mental illness on employers

Mental illness is the leading cause ofdisability, accounting for one-third of new disability claims in 2015.Depression is among the top workplace challenges for employeeassistance programs, along with family crisis and stress.

While most employers provide coverage for mental health care,benefits and services aimed at preventing or reducing depressionare often underutilized by employees for a variety of reasons. Forexample, they may have difficulty finding an in-network psychiatryprovider in their area, trouble making an appointment that fitsaround their work schedule or employees may feel stigmatized orembarrassed by their condition.

Untreated mental health issues are costly to employers. Thetotal economic burden of major depression, for example, isestimated to be $210.5 billion per year — nearly half of whichis attributed to the workplace, including missed work days andreduced output. Further cost implications can also be attributed totreating medical conditions that often coexist with depression.Employees who suffer depression frequently have other medicalconditions that occur at the same time, including diabetes, asthma,COPD, heart disease, chronic pain and insomnia.

Treating these coexisting problems can significantly drive upcosts. For example, researchers found that for every dollar spenttreating depression, $1.55 was spend on depression workplace costs,while $2.13 was spent on treating coexisting disorders.

Advantages of offering a telepsychiatry benefit toemployees

Investing in the mental well-being of employees createsmeasurable returns. Research by the American Psychiatric Foundation found thatafter only three weeks of mental health treatment, the number ofwork-impaired employees with behavioral health conditions wasreduced by half, and after a little more than four months oftreatment, two-thirds were no longer work-impaired.

Telepsychiatry can help employers improve productivity andprofitability. Here are five reason why:

1. Convenient

Providing convenient access to psychiatric and mental healthcare via telepsychiatry can help reduce absenteeism, tardiness andanger issues by allowing employees access to easy and convenienttreatments thus enabling more consistent work attendance.

Online appointments allow busy professionals to easily accessspecialty behavioral health services in a private and comfortablesetting. Employees can also schedule appointments outside oftraditional weekday time slots, such as weekends or in the evening,which reduces travel time and time away from work. By providingenhanced access to care, employees are more likely to engage inservices more proactively and routinely.

2. Prompt

When behavioral health issues are left untreated, they tend toget progressively worse. With telepsychiatry, employees have promptaccess to routine care that reduces the chance of the conditionbecoming urgent or emergent. In light of the dramatic shortage ofmental health providers, resources are scarce, driving up waittimes to be seen in person. Telepsychiatry meets employees wherethey are, offering them faster access to care. Accessingtelepsychiatry through online platforms not only allows forreal-time diagnosis and treatment, but also provides moreopportunities for communication between the employee and theirmental health provider between sessions.

3. Increased well-being

Employees who suffer from behavioral health issues costemployers $44 billion per year in lost productivity,mostly in the form of presenteeism — when employees are physicallybut not mentally present or working at full capacity. Offeringmental health care not only reduces employee stress but improvesmorale.

One study found employees who completed just onesession with a mental health provider experienced significantimprovement in work performance. Employers reported increasedproductivity and substantial improvement in overall mental health.

4. Private

Telepsychiatry protects employee privacy and confidentialityjust as in-person care does. Moreover, many find that not being inthe same room as the provider actually enhances feelings of safetyfor many. Accessing appointments online also eliminates thepossibility of running into co-workers in waiting rooms and/orpsychiatry providers’ offices, which can be uncomfortable andcontribute to anxiety.

5. Quality care

Telepsychiatry is has been clinically proven to deliver highquality care that meets the standard of traditional in-person carefor diagnostic accuracy, treatment, effectiveness, quality of careand patient satisfaction. Telepsychiatry offers enhanced access tocare, which improves an employee’s ability to use servicesproactively and routinely, and providers can diagnose and prescribemedicine in the same way an in-person psychiatrist can.

Through telepsychiatry, employees and employers can experiencebetter outcomes across the board.