How advisers can support employees facing serious health issues

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has justly been the focus of attention for the past year, that doesn’t mean that employees and their families have not been facing other serious health challenges. People are still being diagnosed with cancer, heart failure, sickle cell disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, mental health and substance use disorders, and other life-altering conditions every day.

Dealing with a serious health problem can be difficult under the best of circumstances. But if you have employees who are working remotely or employees dispersed across multiple locations, it can be even more difficult for an employer to know when employees are facing difficult health problems and connect them with the benefits and resources that can help them. And even when employees are in the office, many don’t feel comfortable sharing the fact that they or a family member are facing a serious health issue, especially in the case of mental health and substance use disorders.

Read more: Addicted: How employers are confronting the U.S. opioid crisis

One resource that can help employers bridge this gap and ensure that employees are aware of and know how to access benefits that will help them get the care and support they need is health advisory. Health advisory services act as a single point of contact that can:

• Educate employees about their diagnosis
• Connect them with experienced specialists virtually or in-person for a second opinion, which is an especially important step when faced with a serious, complex, or rare health problem
• Provide evidence-based information about potential treatments to help employees make more informed medical decisions
• Help them research and enroll in clinical trials when appropriate
• Expedite appointments with specialists and other healthcare providers when they’re ready to begin treatment
• Gather and review the employee’s medical records and create a secure comprehensive electronic medical record to ensure that all physicians involved in their treatment have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information, an essential tool in reducing the risk of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment
• Attend appointments with employees to take notes and ask questions, which is helpful because people who are facing a serious illness are often distressed, making it more difficult to remember what their physician tells them about their treatment options, next steps, and prognosis
• Provide access to integrative medicine resources to help employees manage the side affects of treatment and the stress of living with a serious illness

The resources that a health advisory firm provides can also have a positive impact on employees and family members living with mental health issues such as depression, an even more pressing issue during the pandemic. According to a study by the Boston University School of Public Health, the number of U.S. adults affected by depression was 8.5% before the pandemic. Now the number stands at 27.8% of U.S. adults.

Read more: 6 companies that launched innovative mental health benefits this year

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was difficult to get a timely appointment with a mental health provider in many parts of the country. A health advisor can help employees connect with a provider with experience treating the condition they face and can also provide access to other resources as appropriate, such as stress and sleep management specialists.

What to consider when choosing a health advisory partner

There are several different models of health advisory. Some of the key considerations for employers choosing a health advisory firm include:

• Open access to the best physicians: Rather than choosing a partner tied to a single medical institution, look for a partner that has the ability to refer employees to the best and most appropriate physicians and medical centers nationally and internationally.

• 24/7/365 coverage: Health problems don’t operate within a 9 to 5 timeframe and neither should your health advisory partner. Look for a partner that guarantees that employees can access an advisor any time, any day.

• Seamless integration with your existing benefits: Your partner shouldn’t function as an add-on that employees need to access through different channels than your other benefits. An advisor who is integrated into your benefits can act as a central resource for employees, helping them understand and access all appropriate benefit programs.

• Ongoing employee education: A benefit is only valuable if employees are aware of it and understand how to access it. Your partner should provide an engagement strategy that’s integrated with your benefits communication program and provides employees with ongoing education about how the advisory services can support them and how to use the services.