Combined Solution Gives Health Systems Deeper Insight into Patient Enrollment and Severity; Resulting in Improvements in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms for Patients
The Froedtert & MCW health network has shown positive results by sending SilverCloud Health, the world’s leading digital mental health platform for healthcare systems and providers, to patients from their care team through Xealth, a leader in enabling digital health at scale. This combined solution offers care teams newly available access to insights into patient initiation and follow-through, and has shown improved depression and anxiety markers for patients.
The Froedtert & MCW health network began incorporating SilverCloud through the Xealth platform in February 2018 to patients exhibiting symptoms of anxiety or depression. Since then, SilverCloud has been recommended by behavioral health and primary care providers to nearly 3,500 patients. Of those patients recommended SilverCloud through Xealth, 64.7% with moderate symptoms registered. Of those with severe depression, 74.8% showed improvement and 59.3% experienced significant improvement (3+ reduction). Of those with severe anxiety, 70% showed improvement and 58.9% experienced significant improvement. With newly available data, care teams have fresh insight into patient download and usage of the SilverCloud Health platform.
“The current pandemic has brought into clearer focus the need for new options to stay connected with patients in between episodes of care, particularly regarding mental health,” said Bradley Crotty, MD, MPH, chief digital engagement officer and internist with the Froedtert & MCW health network; and assistant professor of medicine with MCW. “With Xealth delivering the SilverCloud mobile app from our care teams, we provide support and encouragement as a bridge to therapy to our patients remotely. For the first time, clinicians have ready access to know who has turned on this program and is using the tools, and any changes to their depression and anxiety metrics. This extends our care team and better serves our patients.”
Mental health has become widely recognized as an important, yet difficult to treat, facet of whole person health. Isolation, health concerns and financial stress and anxiety due to the coronavirus pandemic are adding to the issue’s severity. A recent survey by the American Psychiatric Association found that almost half of Americans (48%) are concerned with getting the coronavirus and more than one-third (36%) say it is having a serious impact on their mental health.
“A growing scarcity of access to adequate mental health treatment is currently exacerbated by the coronavirus,” said Ken Cahill, CEO of SilverCloud. “People need access to proven, reliable resources to help with mental health, including not just depression and anxiety. SilverCloud solutions, through real-world delivery to more than 400,000 patients as well as multiple randomized control trials, has shown clearly demonstrated industry leading outcomes, and the combination with Xealth plays a significant part in providing the right help to this patient segment at a time when this is most helpful.”
Treatment for mental health can be challenged by a lack of general awareness around the condition and a main point of assessment is in primary care, where the right tools and training may not be located. Using the Xealth platform to deploy SilverCloud enables physicians to now have easier access to proven mental healthcare assessment, monitoring and therapy tools.
“Mental health is a personal concern and treatment should be tied to a trusted provider,” said Xealth CEO Mike McSherry. “Xealth fosters the provider and patient bond by delivering adherence insights that help drive meaningful discussions for promoting better health. Combining SilverCloud with our platform enhances the remote communication and gives providers real-time access to information related to treatment that they never had before, leading to a better experience and improved mental health.”
Digital therapeutics are becoming a critical component of mental health treatment and support. SilverCloud is a HIPAA and GDPR compliant platform with a library of more than 30 mental health programs across the spectrum of mental health from wellness and resilience to severe mental health and chronic concerns. More than 94% of users of SilverCloud’s scalable and responsive platform said the programs are helpful, relevant and supported them toward their goals, according to the company.
Incorporating Xealth’s digital health platform with clinician recommendation has been shown to increase patient engagement rates as compared to a direct to consumer approach. In addition to delivering content, apps, devices and services to patients’ desktop and mobile devices, Xealth delivers analytics to inform program success and allow for alterations, as necessary. The company powers more than 30 digital health solutions, connecting patients with educational content, transportation, meal delivery, e-commerce product recommendations and other services needed to improve health outcomes.
