Ask an Expert

• What’s the best way to educate prospects and current customers about the need for behavioral health benefits?
• How can I convince prospective customers that using the same vendor for EAP and MBH services is better than a single vendor for each?
• Is CBH able to partner with non-CIGNA medical plans?

What’s the best way to educate prospects and current customers about the need for behavioral health benefits?

There are a number of approaches to this challenge. You can include information such as:

The Prevalence of Behavioral Health Illnesses. According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCR-S) of 2003, more than 16 percent of Americans (35 million people) suffer from depression severe enough to warrant treatment at some time in their lives. As a percentage, depression is as common in the work force as in the nation at large. In fact, the peak age for depression is 35-to-45 years of age, when people are typically expected to be at the height of their productivity.

Comorbidity: Behavioral-Medical Co-Occuring Illnesses. It’s no longer debated that people with depression experience greater distress, an increase in impaired functioning, and less ability to follow medical regimens than those who are not depressed. When heart conditions, diabetes, and other medical illnesses occur simultaneously, the suffer is squeezed both mentally and physically.

For example, people with diabetes are twice as likely as non-diabetics to have depression, according to a report published in Diabetes Care in 2001. While many people believe depression is an effect of having a chronic illness, one study suggests that depression often precedes – and may even help trigger – the onset of diabetes. Researchers involved in this study re-emphasized that depression can promote a resistance to insulin, which is a precursor to Type II diabetes. Depression-related behaviors such as overeating and not exercising are also linked with the development of Type II diabetes. The research additionally shows that diabetics with depression have poorer control over their blood sugar and higher rates of diabetic complications.

How can I convince prospective customers that using the same vendor for EAP and MBH services is better than a single vendor for each?

There are four key points you can make when presented with this situation:

1. Using the same organization for EAP and MBH gives customers and members benefits that only economies of scale can provide.
2. Means transitioning from EAP to behavioral health professionals is seamless.
3. Medical-behavioral-pharmaceutical integration means the right hand always knows what the left hand is doing.
4. Disease management integrated with pharmaceutical management is an essential capability.

Is CBH able to partner with non-CIGNA medical plans?

Absolutely. While we believe that the optimal situation is one where CBH partners with CIGNA medical plans, work just as sucessfully with a substantial number of non-CIGNA medical plans. We are able to leverage our expertise across a range of technologies, while adapting to unique corporate cultures and customer needs, regardless of whether the medical plan is managed by CIGNA or another organization.