Mental Health Awareness Month: Helpful resources for members
In this issue:
Mental health is an essential part of overall well-being, and support is available. Explore the mental health resources offered to our members including:
Lyra Health: A virtual‐first behavioral health platform chosen in collaboration with Mass General Brigham experts to improve access to care and outcomes. It offers a range of virtual and in-person options, including self‐service tools, mental health coaching, therapy, and medication management. Members can quickly schedule appointments, often within one to three days. Included with fully insured plans and available to self‐funded groups at an additional cost. Learn more.
Optum: Search for providers who offer treatments including outpatient services, day programs, residential programs, autism care and support, substance and recovery services, and more. Access Optum's telehealth capable providers through the virtual visit platform on Live and Work Well. Browse the articles on Live and Work Well as a guest using the access code: MGBHPMA. Available to all Mass General Brigham Health Plan members. Learn more.
Recovery coaching: Recovery isn’t something to face alone. Our recovery coaches understand the hurt caused by stigma and shame and can thoughtfully act as guides, mentors, and advocates. Available to all Mass General Brigham Health Plan members. Members can self-refer to our care management program or get in touch with a certified recovery coach by emailing HealthPlanCareManagement@mgb.org.
We are excited to present our newest case study, which highlights the benefits of Lyra Health, a virtual behavioral health platform available to eligible members. The program's focus on delivering personalized, collaborative therapy—where members and providers align on goals and tasks—helps foster stronger relationships and drives more lasting outcomes. Download the case study to read more about how members see clinical improvement when using the program.
In this case study you'll learn:
How the virtual-first behavioral health program, Lyra, provides clinical needs for mental health support
The four key categories where Mass General Brigham Health Plan offers personalized support
How 87% of members who participated in the program experienced measurable clinical improvement
Key findings from the program's peer-reviewed research
Learn more and download the case study here.
As you may know, each year we make changes to our formulary to ensure we achieve our objective of providing access to a wide variety of safe and effective medications to our providers and members at the lowest possible cost. To further this goal, we’ll be updating our formulary twice a year, in January and July.
The next update will go into effect on July 1, and some medications will no longer be covered. The formulary updates can be viewed here. Members impacted will receive a letter notifying them of the upcoming change and, if available, a list of covered alternatives. Members should discuss these changes with their doctor. If members have questions about their coverage, they can email HealthPlanCustomerService-Members@mgb.org or log in to Member.MGBHP.org, to live-chat with a Customer Service professional.
Building on our partnership with Sword Health, through which we offer Bloom for pelvic health digital physical therapy, Sword Thrive is being introduced at no cost to eligible fully insured members. As we roll out this pilot program, we are providing early access to a targeted group of members who are most likely to benefit.
Sword Thrive is an AI physical therapy program providing accessible, at-home, AI-guided care for musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, including back, joint, and muscle pain. By introducing this digital solution to address a widespread health issue, we aim to reduce surgeries and opioid usage among a portion of our members.
What members can expect:
A tablet and stand shipped to your home: Access your sessions on the Thrive Pad, a tablet with motion-tracking feedback for real-time form correction
Personalized exercise sessions: Designed to help you move and feel better, your exercises are personally selected by your designated physical therapist (PT)
Support when you need it: Get support from your PT anytime in the Sword Health app, where you can also access a library full of educational resources
As noted above, a select group of eligible members will receive early access to Sword Thrive. We will begin communicating with these members by mail starting the week of May 18. To learn more about the program, please visit our Sword Thrive page.
Mass General Brigham Health Plan Supplier Diversity Program
The Mass General Brigham Health Plan Supplier Diversity Program (SDP) has been created to promote equitable procurement practices by ensuring that diverse suppliers—including minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and other disadvantaged businesses—are actively considered and engaged in all sourcing activities.
This initiative supports the plan's commitment to diverse supplier selections with the objective of achieving and fostering greater supplier diversity.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) website dedicated to certifying/recertifying diverse suppliers can be found here: Certification Program for SDO | Mass.gov
EOHHS Diverse Certification Categories are defined as a business which is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled daily by one or more (in combination) American citizens of the following ethnic minority and/or gender (e.g. woman-owned) and/or military veteran classifications:
Benefits of being certified as a Massachusetts Diverse Supplier through the EOHHS Supplier Diversity Office (SDO):
Sign up today: Certification Program for SDO | Mass.gov
What’s keeping health plan leaders up at night?
Becker’s Healthcare connected with Jennifer St. Thomas, Senior Vice President of Commercial and Medicare Markets, on top pressures and uncertainties facing health plan leaders right now.
“We are focused on the industrywide challenge of affordability, especially in a difficult economic environment for many employers and consumers. Our goal is to provide both short- and long-term support by ensuring our products remain competitive and deliver real value — while continuing to prioritize our members’ individual health needs,” Jennifer shared.
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