Virtual Care Lifts the
Barriers to Quality
Mental Health care
By Teladoc Health
The growing pervasiveness of mental health issues is
a pressing reality facing today’s workforce. From the
warehouse employee battling depression, to the IT
professional trying to cope with anxiety, too many
Canadians are finding themselves in an uphill battle; trying to
remain productive at work while struggling to get the right treat-ment
and avoiding the perceived stigma of a mental health issue.
This is where many employers and insurers are taking the lead
to help maintain a physically and mentally healthy workforce by
making quality mental health care accessible and easy to navigate,
using virtual care.
A SERIOUS ISSUE REQUIRING
SERIOUS ATTENTION
The statistics show that mental health is an issue that employ-ers
need to address in a meaningful way. During any given week,
500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to mental health
problems or illnesses, according to the Mental Health Commis-sion
of Canada. From anxiety and depression to PTSD, OCD, bi-polar
disorder and post-partum depression, mental health issues
are most likely to affect those in their prime working years. While
mental health claims are the fastest growing category of disability
costs in Canada, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health
and Safety found that only 22 per cent of Canadians with a men-tal
health issue seek out appropriate guidance from a psychologist
or psychiatrist.
Investing in the mental wellbeing of employees simply makes
good business sense. When employees facing a mental health
challenge do not seek proper care and treatment, this can lead
to higher rates of absenteeism and presenteeism. A study pub-lished
in 2010, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine found that the cost of disability leave for a mental illness
is about double the cost of a leave due to a physical illness. It’s
clear that employers must be proactive in addressing the mental
wellbeing of their employees.
PROACTIVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE
More and more, employers are seeing the value of virtual care to
remove barriers to mental health care. For one, it’s an enabler to
care, especially for those hesitant to seek treatment because of a
perceived stigma. The access and convenience of virtual care also
enables patients to meet with therapists and psychiatrists at any
time without travel to an office – on a lunch break, in the eve-ning
at home, even on weekends. Perhaps the largest benefit of
all is the help navigating a complex health system where employ-ees
can get lost in the waiting for appointments or sidetracked
by misdiagnosis.
The virtual care delivery model connects professionals with pa-tients
for a broad spectrum of healthcare needs in a high-quality,
safe and convenient manner. Leading the way is Best Doctors
Mental Health Navigator, which provides timely access to a wide
range of care providers, including therapists, psychologists, social
workers, nurses and psychiatrists. Employees can choose a pro-vider
based on their needs and meet with them when convenient
via phone or video. Current diagnoses or treatment plans are re-viewed
by experts and adjusted where necessary. The Best Doc-tors
model focuses on early intervention, consistency of care and
customized action plans, which combine to support employees
and reduce chances of relapse.
Employee productivity, attraction and retention are linked
inextricably with supportive policies. Employers that offer con-venient
ways for their employees to identify and treat men-tal
health issues will see value in the virtual care approach and
its proven outcomes. Find out today how you can help your
employees access Best Doctors Mental Health Services at
BestDoctors.com/Canada.
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