Medical Web

Medical Web has a program centered around veterans and employees that facilitates access to mental health professionals in a cost effective environment by harnessing the power of the Internet and providing online therapy.

Situation

There are several barriers to accessing mental health. The current benefit system actually encourages costs since primary care providers are easier to access than mental health professionals. Those providers are not the best caregivers in this area as their time is limited1, and they devise treatment plans that primarily include medication only.

Solution

Medical Web has a program centered around veterans and employees that facilitates access to mental health professionals in a cost effective environment by harnessing the power of the Internet and providing online therapy.

Through the Medical Web system, a patient or a veteran simply logs on and takes a screening test. The screening produces a score that is based on national recognized scales. A psychologist reviews the score and recommends that:

1. Low risk people are re-screened 4 times a year;
2. Medium risk people begin online therapy;
3. High risk people access their network of physicians for intensive treatment.

Online therapy begins when the patient picks their psychologist based on their preferences (e.g. expert in divorced families, homosexual friendly, religion). The dialogue is unlimited but managed by the psychologist. When and if the psychologist determines medication is appropriate, the medical record is shared (with the patient’s permission) with a psychiatrist who can review all of the notes provided by the psychologist, communicate with the patient or the psychologist, and prescribe an appropriate medication. Hence, therapy can include psychotherapy and pharmacology. Follow up is electronic.

Better Health & Lower Costs

Our solution is consumer-centric as the costs of forging mental health treatment are pervasive. According to the National Business Group on Health, costs for mental health and substance abuse totaled $104 billion and represented 7.6% of the total healthcare spending in 2001. For veterans, symptoms can manifest three to four months after discharge, but the Veterans Administration has admitted that it does not have the staff to retest veterans in that time frame. Additionally, 65% of veterans who were screened and tested positive for a mental disorder felt that their leaders would think they were weak if they sought help. In Washington State, it is an average of 6 weeks from the time a psychologist recommends medication to the time that an adult can access a psychiatrist and 10 weeks for adolescents. Increasing the access to qualified mental health professionals through online therapy means the costs are diminished, the stigma is erased since the patient is accessing the service at his/her own home, and productivity for employers or the military is increased. Additionally, the psychologist can make the recommendation for medication, and the response time from the psychiatrist is measured in hours and not weeks.