A health system based in Minneapolis has launched a program to place mental health providers at businesses and workplaces, saying that quicker access to treatment will result in lower claims and a healthier workforce down the road.

It's a departure from the traditional way businesses handle mental health benefits, which usually involve an employee assistance program (EAP). Instead of an EAP screening employees by phone and directing them to an in-network provider—a process that can take time—the new approach skips the middleman and gives workers access to providers who can be onsite or in some cases, at a nearby Fairview facility. Since all Fairview primary care clinics have behavioral care providers, access to care will be quicker and easier in either case than many EAP programs can provide.

High costs, directly and indirectly

Estimates on the cost of behavioral health issues for employer-sponsored health plans vary, but all agree the cost is high—and not just for treatment. The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that productivity losses due to behavioral health issues cost U.S. businesses $225 billion annually.

According to Rene Coult-Calendine, Fairview's vice president of market and product development, the health system became interested in taking a new approach to treating mental health after working with employers on claims data. “The feedback we received indicated that behavioral health issues were showing up as a top-five health item for medical claims,” says. “This program would encourage people to get help sooner,” Coult-Calendine says. “The system eliminates barriers; people will know where to go for help. And getting help sooner means that we're more likely to resolve the issues earlier in the process. We believe that will save the employer money both with claims costs and productivity.”

Coult-Calendine notes that workers who delay treatment of mental health issues use three- to four-times as many resources as those who seek treatment earlier. “What we have found is that workers who get downstreamed use more resources. We are hopeful that early, quick access will help to stem that.”

Part of a larger strategy

The new program, which officially launches in the beginning of 2019, is seen as one part of a comprehensive suite of services that the health system offers employers. Coult-Calendine notes that Fairview also offers employers onsite primary care clinics, a muscular skeletal care program, virtual care, and other services. Although Fairview will continue to offer a traditional EAP program, she says the new system has already drawn interest from employers.

With the behavioral health program, Fairview would place a provider onsite, if the business can accommodate that. If not, a dedicated provider would be available to employees at the nearest Fairview primary care clinic. The system would discuss with the employer what type of provider would be the best fit for their worker population. Coult-Calendine says most providers will be psychologists or social workers.

Although there are provider shortages in the U.S., Coult-Calendine says that Fairview thinks it will have enough providers to meet demand. She added that the prospect of working directly with a defined population, plus having access to the Fairview support system, should be attractive to providers.

“We'll be sitting down with employer, talking to them about what challenges they're facing, looking at claims data if they're willing, and digging into what the workforce issues are,” says Coult-Calendine. “The providers will have oversight from Fairview's behavioral health leadership, so they will have the ability to plug back into the clinical support system.”

Read more:

Instant Insights /

Coming soon: Onsite behavioral health clinics

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You