Questions
Common questions.
Direct support from your Advocate is practical and goal-focused, not therapy. Benchmark currently starts with a PCP referral in Massachusetts or California, and what you pay depends on your health plan.
For patients and families
What is Benchmark Health? What happens next?
Benchmark works alongside your primary care provider (PCP) to connect you quickly with mental health support tailored to your individual needs. This page answers the questions people ask us most, so your Needs Assessment, a 30-minute conversation with your Advocate, can be about you.
What does Benchmark cost?
There may be a cost for your care. Your care is billed to your insurance like a regular medical visit. A bill is submitted one time per month under your primary care office, not from Benchmark directly. Depending on your plan, your usual cost sharing may apply: a copay, coinsurance, or a deductible, the same as other visits with your PCP. Many people pay little or nothing, but every plan is different.
You can find out how much you may have to pay, if anything. To do so, we recommend calling the member services number on your insurance card. Ask about coverage for Collaborative Care Management, a team-based program billed by your PCP, using these codes:
Your Advocate can also give you the billing information you need to check coverage and expected costs before services are billed.
What is an Advocate?
Advocates are licensed mental health professionals or specially trained behavioral health care managers. Your Advocate is your main point of contact: they listen to your goals, provide practical support, help you find care that fits, and follow through with you as your needs change.
Is Benchmark a therapy practice?
No, your Advocate isn't your therapist. Direct support from your Advocate is collaborative, practical, and goal-focused: goal setting, skills, and regular check-ins. Their care team connects you to the right in-network care (therapy, psychiatry, medication support, testing, intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization programs, and substance-use treatment) or non-clinical resources (community resources, peer support, etc.), helps you get in, and tracks that it's helping.
Why have I received a text from you?
Your PCP referred you to Benchmark for additional support around your mental health needs. Once we processed the referral, we sent you a scheduling text. Use it to schedule your Needs Assessment, a 30-minute conversation with your Advocate about your goals and what's important to you.
What is the Needs Assessment?
The Needs Assessment is a 30-minute conversation with your Advocate about what's going on, what you'd like to be different, and what kind of support fits. We handle the logistics up front (including any insurance questions) so the conversation itself can be about you.
What if I don't like the provider you found me?
Come back. We'll find another; your Advocate already knows you and your story. You choose from the options you discuss together, and you can change course — to another therapist, prescriber, program, or care option — without starting over. And you'll have helped: when care falls short, we take that feedback to the provider directly, and it shapes where we send people next.
Is my information private?
Yes, your information is protected under applicable health privacy laws, and used only to support your care. This public website does not ask you to submit patient health information.
Where is Benchmark available, and who is it for?
Benchmark is currently available in Massachusetts and California through participating programs, and a PCP referral is required. Within those programs, we support people of any age or insurance and across levels of mental health or substance-use need.
Do I have to be referred?
Yes. Currently, a PCP referral is required. After we process your PCP's referral, we send you a text to schedule your Needs Assessment, a 30-minute conversation about your goals and needs.
What if I need urgent help?
Benchmark can coordinate urgent, crisis, and higher-level care, including intensive outpatient or partial hospital programs, but Benchmark is not an emergency service. Need immediate help? Call or text 988. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Whenever you're ready
Three ways to take the next step.
OPTION 1
Book your Needs Assessment.
Use the scheduling link in the text you received. It only takes a minute.
OPTION 2
Reply to the text you received.
A quick reply is all it takes. A question, a good time to talk, whatever's on your mind.
OPTION 3
Call us back.
Call the number that texted you. Questions about the program, insurance, or cost are welcome.
For referring practices
Who should I refer?
We support patients of all ages and acuity levels, including mental health and substance-use needs, with any insurance within participating programs in Massachusetts and California. A PCP referral is required. Benchmark is not an emergency service.
How do I choose between refer in and refer out?
Refer in means direct support from an Advocate alongside your practice. Refer out means help connecting with outside care, such as therapy, psychiatry, a higher level of care, or community resources. Direct support may be a fit for mild-to-moderate depression or anxiety, or for a patient who needs support during a transition of care. These are examples, not eligibility rules. If you are unsure, you can defer to the Advocate. The Advocate and patient build the plan together, taking your recommendation into account.
Can a patient receive direct support and outside care?
Yes. Direct support from Benchmark can include help arranging outside care. A patient may work with an Advocate alongside your practice while also connecting with a therapist, psychiatrist, program, or community resource. The pathways are not mutually exclusive or defined by severity alone. The Advocate and patient build the plan around the patient's needs and preferences, taking your recommendation into account.
Will Benchmark’s psychiatrist see my patient or prescribe medication?
No. Benchmark's internal consulting psychiatrist advises the Advocate and sends recommendations to the PCP, but does not see the patient or prescribe medication. For refer-in care, the PCP remains the prescriber. If a patient needs to see a psychiatrist, that is a separate outside-care connection. Direct support from an Advocate is practical and goal-focused; it is not therapy.
What happens after I refer?
After we process the referral, we send the patient a scheduling text. At the Needs Assessment, a 30-minute conversation, the Advocate and patient discuss the patient's goals, needs, and preferences and build a plan together, taking your recommendation into account. The plan may include direct support, outside care, or both.
How will my practice stay informed?
Benchmark keeps your practice informed about referral progress, the support your patient is receiving, and when your input is needed. We discuss how to coordinate with your practice as part of setting up the referral relationship.
What does it cost my patient?
Collaborative Care Management is a team-based program billed to the patient's health plan once per month under their primary care office, not by Benchmark directly. Copays, coinsurance, or deductibles may apply based on the plan. This describes program billing; outside providers may bill separately for their services, with costs depending on the patient's coverage. We help patients get the billing information they need to check coverage and expected costs.
How do you choose outside providers?
Patients choose from informed options. We consider their preferences, coverage, geography, availability, and fit. The Advocate helps the patient understand the options and choose the outside care that fits their needs.
How can my practice start referring?
Contact our partnerships team to discuss participating programs and set up a referral pathway for your practice. We work with you to agree on the referral steps and how to coordinate patient support.