Online Psychological Care Reduces Waiting Lists

The waiting lists in mental health care are too long. It is a major problem that people who are in mental distress sometimes have to wait months before speaking to a psychologist. Waiting is not a desirable situation, especially when they have finally charged enough to seek help. Online therapy care seems to be the solution.

Something has to change in this market. With the current shortage in the labor market for psychologists, this requires a different approach. E-Health can be a solution for this because the use of time and place independent care providers offers new possibilities. For example, that as a patient you are no longer dependent on the opening hours of the institution.

Or that care providers from another region can easily be deployed in places where the waiting lists are the longest. This is an open door for many sectors, but it is still used very little in healthcare. One of the reasons for this is that there is little competition in the sector and this sector is (perhaps because of that?) Conservative.

Another reason is that regional agreements are made between providers and health insurers, so that treatment outside the region should be at the expense of someone else’s budget and that is sensitive. That is why GGZ-Noord-Holland-Noord has opted for a completely new approach to tackle the waiting lists by offering 100% online mental health care.

Disruptive innovation

A new part has been set up from scratch, separate from the organizational structure, with a direct line to the Executive Board as a client. Much management literature is known to show that this is a successful way to innovate disruptively. The starting point of this start-up is that it offers optimal online treatment services for the patient, just as it nowadays happens with all those other services such as supermarkets, travel agencies, and banks.

How does that work? By having all therapies delivered there take place exclusively online in a combination of online modules and online video calls. From the outset, it is therefore clear to both patients and caregivers that online is the only option.

This optimal service provides benefits for the patient, the care provider, and the referrer. For the patient, simplicity is central: simple registration via a login and the only contact you have is with your psychologist and, as already mentioned, independent of the opening hours of an institution. There is also no need to travel to a physical location where you can meet acquaintances.

Working independently of time

The advantage for the care provider is that he has his practice with all the freedoms to organize it independently of time and place, but with the certainty of an employment contract. Also, they are well facilitated so that they can fully focus on good care and service provision.

The advantages of the referrer are that we can help patients quickly because there is no waiting list. Also, It employs enthusiastic and skilled GZ psychologists. Moreover, Psychologists are available when the caseload of current GZ psychologists fills up. Our experience is that healthcare professionals find this an attractive way of working.

And how does that work in practice, five months after the start? We notice that patients are often reluctant at first, but when they have chosen to start, they are very enthusiastic about online therapy. This does not seem a surprising outcome, as it was previously published about e-Consulting. Both patients and doctors were not enthusiastic at the start until they started. From then on, both groups were sold.