The trend of companies providing doctors to their employees is increasing

It may be unconventional, but companies claim it This resource is very popular among employeesEspecially in the context of the shortage of mental health professionals and the excessive costs that would otherwise prevent them from accessing health care.

There is a shortage of mental health professionals around the world. In 2024, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration 122 million Americans live in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals, and to bridge this gap the country needs to add about 6,000 experts. In 2022, the UK Health Service (NHS) reported a shortage of 2,000 qualified physicians.

The working doctors are overloaded. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), 60% of psychologists in the US declared that they have no free space for new patients after the pandemic in 2022And 38% reported having a waiting list.

Even those who find a physician with availability for new patients may not have the ability to schedule an appointment unless they have a flexible work arrangement.

These factors, combined with high costs in many countries, can prevent people from getting the services they need. “Therapy is a good solution for many people, but it is very expensive, very inconvenient, and very difficult to find a therapist with insurance coverage (in the US).”says Jen Porter, interim CEO of MindShare Partners, a California-based nonprofit that advocates for mental health in the workplace.

Lack of mental health support can impact employees’ personal lives and impact their work, potentially leading to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism. This is a problem that companies want to address with the introduction of accessibility on site To the physicians.

Talking about mental health issues in the workplace was unheard of, let alone attending an hour-long therapy session in the office. However, the stigma associated with mental health is ending Many employees expect to receive mental health benefits as part of their employment contract.

Mary Beth Ryan, who advises clients on behavioral health services at the consulting firm Mercer, says: Workers feel more comfortable receiving mental health care than before And talking about their mental condition, especially the youth.

Therefore, it has seen a steady increase in the number of companies offering the therapy. “We’ve seen companies respond by thinking about how to offer consulting on site As a way to reduce some of the barriers to care, whether they’re barriers related to location, availability in a certain geographic location or barriers related to finance,” he says.

Employees take advantage of the opportunity. In the United States, health care providers Campus Health, which provides physicians on site There are 94 clinical practitioners working in the host companies, in its nearby offices. Visits to your physicians have increased nearly sixfold since 2020, In 2023, the company recorded 35,000 visits for 65 customers.

Some of these programs began before the pandemic, but have evolved in the years since.

Delta Airlines adds its first physician on site In 2019. It started with nine and now has 20 physicians spread across 15 centers in the United States as well as cities such as Tokyo, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Sao Paulo.

Some are deployed at airports. If a problematic incident occurs during the flight – a belligerent passenger or a medical emergency – flight attendants can exit the aircraft and see a physician in the attendant lounge.

The company recently added licensed social workers to two centers to connect workers to community resources on domestic abuse and financial issues. In some cases, therapists are also available outside of the 9 to 5 schedule, so employees can schedule a session before or after their shift.

Lyra, global medical provider on site, Suggests that employee utilization is high. Especially in places like India, where There is less than one doctor for every 100,000 peopleAnd workers may have difficulty finding a way to attend sessions.

“Travel outside the office can be difficult. There are cities where it takes three hours to travel five miles, so personal care can be very complicated,” explains Alethea Varra, the company’s vice president of clinical care. Counseling is more convenient for some workers, as they may have trouble finding privacy for virtual appointments at home.

doctor on site They are not direct employees of the companies they serve, but rather work for health care providers or employee assistance programs. They must follow the same privacy laws and ethical codes as any physician in private practice, and must not share conversations with management or the company.

Clinicians also understand the privacy concerns of seeking mental health services on site, Providers encourage talk therapy companies to set up offices in outside locationsSo that logging in doesn’t mean announcing to colleagues that a session is taking place.

Premise Health sets up multipurpose clinics on company campuses, where talk therapy is one of the many services offered. Employees can come in for a flu shot or a 50-minute session to talk about their divorce. Since all services are in the same building, employees can maintain their privacy.

Brad Smallwood, a 44-year-old marriage and family therapist, spent three years from 2017 to 2020 as a therapist on site At the San Francisco headquarters of technology company Square. His office was down a hallway so the sessions took place discreetly.

Smallwood says his work was confidential. Although he was integrated into the company, he followed the same ethical protocols as any physician. He did not welcome customers at the coffee machine or lunch table unless they did so first.

Initially, workers thought that Smallwood was only there to talk about labor matters. ,There was a misconception that my role was to somehow make them more effective, so they could perform better at work.“From the beginning I made it clear that I was a marriage and family therapist,” she says. Your participation in therapy is not related to work performance.”

He says that once employees felt comfortable with therapy in the office, they were able to talk openly about their concerns: anxiety, depression, substance abuse, loss of loved ones, divorce. Smallwood says his schedule filled up quickly.

Despite being private employees, some physicians integrate into the company culture for the benefit of their patients. Companies often ask them to participate in activities other than therapy sessions. “Mental health interventions, including therapy, are most effective when they are tailored to cultural contexts,” says MindShare Partners’ Porter.

Alison Smith, Delta’s chief health and wellness officer, estimates that about 60% of physicians’ time is focused on individual sessions. “(The rest) spend their time hanging around, checking up on people, going to team meetings where they talk about topics like maintaining a healthy mind or meditation, just to put their face and name out there, so that trust. and sustainability”.

Smallwood says being immersed in a work environment improves focus. Customers who come from similar backgrounds also help. “We pay attention to the company’s demographics to ensure people are supported by providers who can be representative of them and share experiences from a cultural perspective,” says Lyra’s Varra.

In March 2023, media company Comcast added a full-time bilingual English-Spanish therapist to its Telemundo offices in Miami, Florida. Dorothea Scataglia, the company’s director of emotional wellness, says that when workers have a place where they can easily get care from a therapist they identify with, people feel more comfortable talking about mental health. .

Many mental health experts and business leaders hope that these employee programs will encourage workers to seek the help they need.

“Our employees, like the rest of the country, have difficulty accessing suppliers, so we are making it as easy as possible for them,” says Scataglia. “There is still some stigma around mental health, but this breaks down barriers – just having someone they know is an entry point to other services and programs.”

If this approach is successful, both parties will benefit. Not only will employees be able to access the services they need, but companies will be able to retain happier, healthier employees., US flooring maker Shaw Industries Group adds practitioners on site Through campus in January 2020.

Rachel Bolden, who leads employee health and wellness at Shaw, notes on site This is part of the company’s retention strategy. “We wanted to take care of (employees) in a way that wasn’t just at work, but also took care of them at home,” he says.