Virtual solutions for depression and anxiety can have a positive impact on people with mild to moderate symptoms, a new analysis(Opens in a new window) by the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) found. However, some pricing models can drive up costs for employers and health plans.
PHTI(Opens in a new window) is an independent evaluator of digital health solutions. For this report, it analyzed more than 5,000 articles, partnered with clinical advisors and experts in the space, and conducted interviews with people with depression and anxiety. It evaluated three kinds of mental health solutions both on their clinical effectiveness and economic impact:
Self-guided solutions, which provide digital content that people can work through on their own (AbleTo, Dario, Headspace, Learn to Live, Meru Health, SilverCloud, Talkspace, Teladoc)
Prescription digital therapeutics, which are FDA-cleared digital programs that require a prescription (DaylightRx, Rejoyn)
Blended-care solutions, which include networks of virtual care teams that offer therapy and digital content (AbleTo, Brightside, Headspace, Koa Health, Lyra, Meru Health, Modern Health, Spring Health, Talkspace, Teladoc)
PHTI found that self-guided solutions produce clinically meaningful improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms for those who are not otherwise in therapy and decrease net spending for commercial payers.
Prescription digital therapeutics also show meaningful clinical improvements when combined with other treatments. They could also provide savings if they’re used to decrease the frequency of therapy, according to the report.
Blended-care solutions, meanwhile, have larger clinical benefits compared to the other two categories. However, current pricing models that charge all employees an access fee, regardless of usage, drive up overall healthcare spending for employers and health plans, PHTI reported.
“Virtual solutions for depression and anxiety can expand access to care by offering a range of convenient, affordable, and effective treatment options,” said Caroline Pearson, executive director of PHTI, in a statement. “Employers that offer these solutions as part of their benefits package can see lower healthcare spending per user and improved productivity. However, to manage total overall costs, employers must negotiate lower prices for blended-care solutions and help guide users to more affordable treatment options when appropriate.”
PHTI also provided several recommendations to help digital mental health solutions increase adoption. These recommendations include conducting more comparative studies, improving engagement rates and implementing outcomes-based payment models.
The report comes as the U.S. faces a mental health crisis. Rates of depression and anxiety increased drastically during Covid-19, and the U.S. spent about $240 billion on these conditions in 2020, according to PHTI.
The organization has also provided results on hypertension solutions(Opens in a new window) (mixed reviews), musculoskeletal solutions(Opens in a new window) (mostly favorable) and diabetes solutions(Opens in a new window) (mostly unfavorable).
Photo: SIphotography, Getty Images
