WASHINGTON, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly all (99%) purchasers/employers agree that the mental health of their employees is directly linked to the overall performance of the organization. This is among the findings of a survey on mental health attitudes and strategies of employers across the country conducted by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
"While almost universally employers understand the importance of mental health in their workplace, they vary widely in their behavioral health strategies," said Michael Thompson, National Alliance President & CEO. "We've learned a lot from leading companies in how to best address emotional health and are encouraged to see that purchasers have this issue on their radar – but there's still much work to be done. In addition, employers have underestimated the degree of the problem related to network access to high quality care and need to demand more from their vendors."
Additional survey findings include:
April 23 mental health webinar
To share insights and implications for purchasers, the National Alliance is hosting a complimentary webinar today from 3:00 pm-4:00 pm Eastern. Learn more and register here.
"We've been working with coalition members and their employers/purchasers to improve their mental health strategies for the last few years," said Margaret Rehayem, National Alliance Director of Initiatives & Programs. "As serious deficiencies in access are revealed, we encourage coalitions and purchasers to partner with their health plans and pharmacy benefit managers so that adequate coverage and engagement of the workforce moves in the right direction to change the behavioral health debate from a focus on cost to the broader value discussion."
The online survey was conducted earlier this year with 113 employers responding, 90% of which have over 1,000 covered lives. This study is an extension of the National Alliance Mental Health Initiative and was informed by the Achieving Value in Mental Health Report released in fall of 2018.
2019 Leadership Summits
Improving mental health system access and quality are among the topics of discussion at the National Alliance's 2019 Leadership Summits, June 24-26, 2019 in Pittsburgh. Learn more and register here.
About National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions
The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions is the only nonprofit, purchaser-led organization with a national and regional structure dedicated to driving health and healthcare value across the country. Our members represent more than 12,000 employers/purchasers, 45 million Americans, and $300 billion in annual healthcare spend. To learn more, visit nationalalliancehealth.org, connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
SOURCE National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions