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As Tom Insel put it so eloquently in a podcast with Stephen Hays, there are three Ps to having a successful therapeutic recovery: people, place, and purpose. Now, how can we use those three factors to address the problems addressed in the Challenges section.

Supply-Demand Imbalance

So, how do we solve this problem of the supply-demand imbalance? Many companies are working on it and here are some of the ways.

Telehealth

There are plenty of providers in metropolitan areas and not enough in rural ones so clinicians can provide care virtually to these areas. This virtual care has been made easier than ever due to the decreased regulations caused by COVID-19.

<aside> 💡 Pros - increased access to higher quality care

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<aside> 💡 Cons - less human interaction, less privacy

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Peer to Peer (P2P)

Not enough professionals to help people? Let's use individuals to help those in need. Organizations like AA have been using this for years and it has been proven to work. In a 2019 study done by Mental Health America, they found Peer to Peer counseling resulted in reduced re-hospitalization, reduced days in-patient, lower overall cost of services, increased use of outpatient services, and increased quality of life. AND you don't need to pay therapists and take up their time. Read more below 👇

Evidence for Peer Support May 2019.docx

Key Takeaway from MHA Study:

  1. 100% of consumers at the Optum Pierce Peer Bridger program had been hospitalized prior to having peer coach, but only 3.4% were hospitalized after getting a coach.
  2. In a study done by Peers for Progress, they found Participants assigned a peer mentor had significantly fewer hospital days (10.08 verses 19.08).
  3. In the same Optum program, peer coaching provided $550,215 in savings due to their 79.2% reduction in hospital admissions year over year.

<aside> 💡 Pros - it helps people to help people, increased the quantity of care, community engagement

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<aside> 💡 Cons - they are not trained professionals. They can make mistakes.

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AI/Coaches

For certain parts of the care process, the professional training of clinicians is not needed. So, for things like scheduling, matching, and guidance, AI and coaches can be used. I'm not saying that AI and coaches are equal here, but they do solve similar challenges. Coaches give patients advice, whereas AI can be used for scheduling and matching.