New survey data reveal widespread dissatisfaction among health plan buyers regarding the quality of access to behavioral health networks.
investigation We found near universal acceptance (99%) that timely access to behavioral health within the network is important. However, only 31% of health plan buyers were satisfied with the effectiveness and timeliness of their network of behavioral health providers.
The study was conducted by the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and HR Policy Association and was paid for by Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Use, according to a news release.
“We continue to fall short of employers’ expectations in many of the services provided, particularly in managing network access,” said Michael Thompson, CEO and chairman of the National Healthcare Buyers Coalition, in a release. . “Despite positive signs, the industry still has a long way to go to meet the needs of our employees and their families.”
When it comes to accessibility, 31% of respondents expressed complete or moderate dissatisfaction, and 43% said they were somewhat satisfied.
The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalition says many of the issues identified in its 2018 report remain, and slow progress is being made in improving access to behavioral health resources for employers and other health insurance purchasers. made it clear.
“While some progress is evident, many of the issues we identified in 2018 still persist and require a redoubled industry effort and accountability to address these issues going forward,” Thompson said. Stated.
The survey received responses from 221 private and public employers covering the lives of more than 10 million people in the United States. The two largest groups of respondents were those with over 10,000 employees (34%) and those with between 1,000 and 4,999 employees (25%). About 62% of respondents work in health and social assistance, government, manufacturing, or other economic sectors.
Health plan buyers are highly interested in accessing behavioral health services via telemedicine, with 95% saying telemedicine services are important and 65% saying they are satisfied with the service. says. Nearly all health insurance purchasers reported that telemedicine significantly improved their access to behavioral health services.
“Although virtual care has greatly improved access to care, in-person care remains an important treatment modality and is much more difficult to access in terms of both availability and in-network perspectives,” said Dr. Anonymous respondents said in a survey report.
Approximately 95% of respondents said it is important or very important that their health care plan provides effective access to behavioral telemedicine services.
The pandemic has resulted in an explosion in the use of telemedicine in behavioral health. Pre-pandemic, less than 1% of his behavioral health visits were conducted through telemedicine. As of Q2 2022, approximately 33% of all visits According to Trilliant Health data, medical care in this space was provided through telemedicine.
Across all telemedicine, including other medical areas, 64% of all telemedicine visits were for behavioral health issues, according to Trillian Health research.
Another concern is the lack of integration between behavioral health and primary care. Most respondents (84%) said the plan should facilitate consolidation, but only 28% of them were satisfied with the plan.
However, 76% of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that the directory of behavioral health providers was accurate.
This goes against the arguments advanced by some Congressmen to push for additional regulation aimed at increasing the accuracy of behavioral health networks. A parliamentarian and expert dubbed The Ghost Network recently testified that network accuracy issues are causing problems for both patients and healthcare providers.
Studies have found that as many as half of behavioral health providers in some Medicaid planning networks in Oregon did not see patients, which poses a problem for providers enrolled in the network in the first place. indicates that there is
