Treatment in an outpatient setting, leads to fewer emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations, decreasing costs by up to $1,377 per person in one year. (Image: Shutterstock)
When it comes to the cost of behavioral health care, an ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure.
Treatment in an outpatient setting, such as a psychologist's office or virtual visits, leads to fewer emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations, decreasing costs by up to $1,377 per person in one year and up to $3,109 per person over two years, according to research by Evernorth, Cigna Corporation's health services business.
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"The findings are groundbreaking and demonstrate there is immense opportunity to help people throughout a lifelong mental health journey," said Eva Borden, president of Evernorth Behavioral Health. "Behavioral outpatient care is a vital tool that helps a person explore symptoms that may lead to mental health distress so they can enact new thought patterns and learn coping skills. These critical skills can help people feel better and reduce avoidable medical services over time."
The research assessed medical, behavioral and pharmacy claims data over four years for 275,000 customers who were newly diagnosed with a behavioral health condition, such as anxiety, depression or substance-use disorder. Additional findings include:
- On average, first-year medical and pharmacy cost savings occurred among people with at least three outpatient visits with a behavioral health provider.
- The savings offset the cost of behavioral care, resulting in a positive return on investment for health plan sponsors.
- Both the savings and ROI were sustainable over two years.
The research findings are particularly relevant for people living with co-occurring mental and physical health conditions, such as those experiencing depression alongside diabetes, heart disease or cancer. Previous industry research has shown that health care costs for this population can be two to six times greater than for those without a behavioral health condition.
Behavioral conditions can exacerbate physical symptoms as well as hamper medical treatment and recovery. That means addressing behavioral health issues for people with medical conditions offers significant potential for cost savings by driving better medical treatment compliance and improved overall health outcomes.
"Our research uncovered opportunities to help more people get the behavioral help they need to improve their health, well-being and productivity, while also reducing costs," Borden concluded. "This is critically important as we work to drive improved affordability for plan sponsors."
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
