Case Study: Missouri Behavioral Health Council achieves reduced claims costs and improved recovery with Netsmart's myStrength

Missouri Coalition for Community Behavioral Healthcare builds strong mental health and reduces claims

The Missouri Behavioral Health Council, which represents more than 30 community behavioral health and addiction treatment agencies serving roughly 250,000 Missourians, faced the twin challenges of increasing consumer engagement and reducing care costs. In 2016 the council partnered with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, The Missouri Foundation and myStrength to roll out a digital behavioral health platform across community providers.

Using myStrength’s evidence-based, CBT- and motivational interviewing–informed digital tools as a supplement to treatment, providers saw higher engagement and measurable clinical gains (48% of users with depression and 37% with anxiety showed reliable improvement). Financially, 70% of myStrength users had fewer all-cause medical claims, average spending fell by $382 per user in year one, and the program yielded a 5.5x return on investment while reaching nearly 6,000 users statewide.

Missouri Behavioral Health Council

Brent McGinty

Chief Executive Officer