More employers have been focusing attention on employees' mental health in recent years, recognizing the impact it can have not only on employees' physical health but workplace productivity, as well. But offering employee assistance programs and encouraging more openness about mental health in the workplace isn't enough. Employers who really want to help their workers get the help they need should sit down with their health plan provider and benefits consultant and examine how easy it is for those in need to find a mental health provider. Related: The value of investing in employee mental health care Chances are, your network has fewer options than you realize. In 2017, according to data gathered by Milliman research, 17.2 percent of consumers enrolled in a PPO plan had to go outside of their network to see a mental health care provider (indicating a lack of access to in-network providers). While that might not sound like a huge number, compare it to the number who went out of network for a primary care provider: just 3.2 percent. Moreover, network access ranged from a whopping 64 percent of Alaskans going out of network to find a mental health provider down to just 2 percent in South Dakota. Milliman's analysis looked at claims data from 2013 to 2017 and compared out-of-network utilization for in-patient, out-patient and office visits for primary care and mental health. Ideally, consumers should have equal access to in-network mental health providers and primary care providers (a.k.a, "parity"), but that's not the case. In Connecticut, consumers are 11.5 times more likely to have to go out of network to find a mental health provider--and that will cost them. There's a lot to learn from these numbers. For instance, Nebraska actually looks like it's ahead of the curve, with a .72 ratio of outpatient primary care access to mental health care (Parity is 1.0). Though that number looks good, it's reflective of a provider system that needs a lot of work: 42 percent of those on a PPO plan had to go out of network for primary care and 30.3 percent did so for mental health--neither number is anything to be proud of. So, how likely is it your employees will be able to find mental health care in the event they need it? Check out our slideshow above to see if your state makes the top 5 (or click here for the full rankings.) Read more:

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