Mental Health Resources

The Path Forward Initiative:

The National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychiatric Association Foundation Center for Workplace Mental Health, Bowman Family Foundation and Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute launched The Path Forward initiative with the goal of improving five established best practices of mental health and substance use care.

Consolidated Appropriations Act tools:

• The National Alliance has created an Overview of how CAA impacts Plan Sponsors responsibility for ensuring Parity in their Mental Health coverage and provision of services.
• The Path Forward has created this Model Data Request Form to help Plan Sponsors obtain accurate information on whether their Plan is compliant.
• The Minnesota Health Action Group created an Action Plan to help purchasers translate the results of their data into specific actions by their Plan to meet requirements of CAA and improve access to Mental Health Services.
• The Mental Health Association of Maryland has created an infographic making the case for parity clear.

Accelerating the Path Forward During Turbulent Times, The Case for
Collaborative Care During Covid-19: The National Alliance put together a
document promoting the use of the Collaborative Care Model as
a method for providing more equitable and accessible mental health to
all regardless of gender, employment, sexual orientation, etc. 

How do individuals with behavioral health conditions contribute to physical and total healthcare spending?  The Path Forward commissioned this analysis of claims from over 21 commercially insured lives to quantify the impact of behavioral health on medical health spending.  The results are eye-opening, and point the need to address mental health to impact medical costs.

Mental Health: Accelerating Action for Parity and Peak Performance: This
action brief from the National Alliance focuses on helping employers
ensure that they are providing parity with appropriate and affordable
access to quality mental health support that meet employees' and their
families' needs. 

Well-being Initiative: The Wellbeing Initiative was designed to help organizations understand that mental, intellectual, spiritual, financial and social health care as important as an employee’s physical health. 

Mental Health Accelerating Action for Parity and Peak Performance: The National Alliance put together action steps for employers to help prioritize mental health and get employees the care they need.

Integrating Mental Health Services and Primary Care: The National Alliance put together an action brief highlighting the benefits of incorporating mental health with medical care services and further discusses the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) as a method for delivering such care.

The North East Business Group on Health:

The North East Business Group on Health put together a resource called Digital Tools and Solutions for Mental Health: An Employer’s Guide. The purpose of this guide to help employers think about new ways to support the mental health of employees, including ways to utilize digital technologies increase access and affordability.

Midwest Business Group on Health:

A Community of Solutions: Jointly Addressing Mental Health: The Midwest Business Group on Health put together this resource for employers to address problems and create potential solutions to access and reimbursement for mental health care. 

Reducing Opioid Exposure After Surgery: This resource was developed for employers to help ensure employees have access to non-opioid therapies for post surgical pain.

Addressing Pain Management & Opioid Use/Abuse: The Midwest Business Group on Health put together a number of resources to guide employers in managing opioid use and abuse.

National Committee for Quality Assurance:

Act on the Facts: Care After Mental Health Hospitalizations: The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the National Alliance put together a resource using data from NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) that highlights the variation in mental health care in the United States. 

Other Mental Health Resources:

How do individuals with behavioral health conditions contribute to physical and total healthcare spending? Millman evaluated 2017 commercial insurance data (21 million insured lives) to determine which characteristics are associated with highest levels of spending. 

Opiods and the Workplace: Kentuckiana Health Collaborative put together a resource to help employers play a more significant role in promoting, protecting and supporting the health and safety of their employees and their families when dealing with the opioid crisis.