Highmark Health releases mental health program outcomes

October 30, 2024

Highmark Health announced initial results of Mental Well- Being powered by Spring Health, delivering significant improvements in mental health care access, member engagement, and clinical outcomes.

The program, which launched to 2.3 million eligible Highmark health plan members in January 2024, showed members with moderate to severe depression symptoms achieving remission three times faster than the national average. Details and key highlights from the first six months of data include:

Rapid Remission: Members experiencing moderate to severe depression and anxiety are achieving remission faster. With Mental Well-Being, the average time to remission for depression is 32.6 days (3.3 sessions) and 42 days (3.8 sessions) for anxiety, compared to a national average of 3 to 6 months.1
Better Access: Members can expect to receive an appointment in 5 days or less, with a current average of 1.3 days to appointment. In the United States, the median wait time for an in-person mental health appointment is 67 days. The median wait time for a telepsychiatry appointment is 43 days.2
Addressing Stigma: 80 percent of Mental Well-Being users were engaging in mental health services for the first time in at least 18 months, based on member claims data reviewed between 2023 and 2024.
Ease of Use: 77 percent of members reported Mental Well-Being was easy to use, exceeding a 70 percent target.
Crisis Intervention: Through Mental Well-Being’s evidence-based screening process to identify risk of suicide or self-harm, Highmark Health and Spring Health were able to help members with a detailed plan of self-harm to accept immediate interventional care. The needs of these members may have otherwise gone unnoticed had they not engaged proactively with the digital resource.
Reduction in Symptoms: Prior to their initial appointments, 97 percent of members completed a Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression and 92 percent of members completed a Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), exceeding the target completion rate of 80 percent. Following an average of less than 4 sessions, members’ PHQ-9 scores improved by an average of 39 percent and GAD-7 scores improved by an average of 26.5 percent.

For Highmark members ages 6 and older, Mental Well-Being provides personalized behavioral health treatment that spans from daily wellness support to deeper clinical care, including therapy, medication management, and 24/7 crisis support. Appointments offered in Mental Well- Being are available in-person or virtually, based on members’ preferences and needs.

“Mental Well-Being is making mental health care more accessible than ever for Highmark’s members,” Tony Farah, MD, executive vice president, chief medical and clinical transformation officer at Highmark Health, said. “Most importantly, this program is tangibly improving members’ mental health status, delivering the right care at the right time, and helping members when they need it most–during times of moderate to severe symptoms or when in crisis.”

Highmark Health is committed to expanding access to Mental Well-Being in 2025. In January 2025, an employee assistance program (EAP) will be added to the platform, offering employer- sponsored therapy sessions, work-life balance tools and leader support resources. Also in January 2025, Mental Well-Being will become available to members enrolled in Pennsylvania Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Enhancements to Mental Well-Being’s substance use disorder (SUD) treatment capabilities are expected later in 2025 to reach members with higher acuity needs.

“We’re thrilled to see the initial clinical outcomes from Mental Well-Being,” Mill Brown, MD, chief medical officer at Spring Health, said. “Through Spring Health’s proprietary Precision Mental Health services, we can match each member to the right provider and the right treatment, while delivering faster access, better outcomes and safer care with our universal safety screening and 24/7 crisis support. It’s clear Mental Well-Being is successfully helping many Highmark members through their mental healthcare journey, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

If you or a loved one is in immediate emotional distress, consider calling or texting 988 to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.