3 Mental Health Access Challenges Solved at the Referable Moment

The ReferWell team, like much of the healthcare world, has had mental health access on our brains lately. Just recently, Fierce Healthcare reported that Medicare Advantage plans are struggling with providing adequate access to mental healthcare.

Just 38% of members told J.D. Power’s annual surveyors that they have enough mental health coverage.

The truth is likely somewhere between that 38% and 100%.

There are three reasons members are rating their plan’s mental health coverage so poorly, J.D. Power executive Christopher Lis said in the story:

Reason #1: Your MA plan is actually lacking in mental health benefits.

If that’s the case, you’re not alone. More than 115 million Americans live in areas where there is a severe shortage of mental health providers, and rural areas struggle the most. So, if your plan covers beneficiaries in remote areas, you’re facing an access challenge over which you have little control.

Reason #2: Your plan has sufficient coverage, but members don’t use it effectively.

So many plans fall into this category. It is overwhelming for members to determine the right type of treatment—perhaps more so than any other specialty—and yet plans need to ensure their members have the right level of care.

Reason #3: Members have other access barriers.

MA beneficiaries may have a hard time finding care for reasons beyond the plan’s control, such as financial challenges or unreliable communication. In those cases, it helps to prioritize health equity and help connect members with community agencies that can address their concerns.

Long story short: For value-based mental healthcare to work, health plans need to help members find and schedule appointments with the right provider type, at the right location and time, whether care is delivered in-person or virtually.

The good news? You can tackle all three of the reasons with ReferWell’s mental health solution—that leverages the referable moment.

ReferWell’s intuitive technology platform uses the results of patient mental health questionnaires to match members with a referral to the mental health provider who treats the member’s precise need, then schedules the appointment, alerting all parties involved in care.

ReferWell’s skilled service team supports the technology at every step, reaching out to members and closing the loop with providers when necessary.

See how ReferWell helps plans improve mental healthcare access, and helps Medicare Advantage members get on, and stay on, their healthcare journey.