Nearly everyAmerican knows of someone living with a mental health condition,whether a friend, a family member or their own experience. One infive American adults has experienced a mental illness in the last year, and half of all Americans willexperience a mental health condition in their lifetime. But nearly60 percent of those currently living with these conditions go untreated.

While many of usare familiar with the emotional toll of mental health conditions,especially when they go untreated, the financial toll is alsostaggering — for both individuals and those they rely on for healthcare.

About half of all Americans still get theirhealth insurance through their employer, and companies are wakingup to the costs of mental health conditions — both treated anduntreated. Depression alone is responsible for $44 billion annually in lost productivity. According tothe federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health ServicesAdministration, mental health treatment costs are $100 billionannually, accounting for 6.4 percent of the $1.6 trillion spentannually on health care in the United States.

Mental illness causes more days of work lossand work impairment than many other chronic conditions such asdiabetes, asthma and arthritis. And people affected by mentalhealth conditions rack up more health care costs. For example, amental health condition like anxiety or depression can result in anindividual not managing a chronic condition like diabetes asdiligently, leading to more complications and higher treatmentcosts. Mental health accounted for an estimated $201 billion indirect costs in 2013, and the cost of untreated mental illness canbe even more costly. Studies estimate that in addition to directtreatment costs, annual indirect costs of mental illness total$193.2 billion in lostearnings and $24 billion in disability benefits.

The challenge foremployers is daunting, and to overcome it, we have to begin byexamining the reasons people with mental health conditions gountreated. Three main factors contribute to this problem: cost,stigma and lack of access. Due to a nationwide shortage ofproviders, getting treatment is often difficult. In 55 percent ofthe nation’s counties, there are no practicing mental healthworkers. The average wait time to see apsychiatrist is 25 days, and it’s even longer in rural locations.

Fortunately, inrecent years some of the best minds in technology have cometogether with the best minds in mental healthcare to address allthree factors and develop solutions that are both outcome- andcost-effective.

Telemedicine isuniquely suited to address the major challenges in the field. Itcan make getting care anonymous and convenient, so patients canreceive treatment at home or in the setting most comfortable forthem. In addition, telemedicine has the tremendous potential toreduce costs. Getting people the right care at the right timeprevents unnecessary emergency room visits and more expensive care.

Finally,telemedicine has the ability to deliver high quality mental healthcare to patients. In some cases, patients can visit doctors byvideo, rather than just audio.

One of the reasonsI have dedicated my career to telehealth is because I stronglybelieve that technology can transform our healthcare system.Nowhere is that more evident — and urgent — than in mentalhealthcare. For patients with mental health conditions, telemedicine can make getting treatment easier,and for employers who are paying for health care, telemedicine candrive down costs and drive up health outcomes. It’s a win-win.