This month, The Self-Insurer Magazine took a close look at the innovations easing pressure for self-funded employers and health plans. Our TPN.health CEO Trevor Colhoun was featured prominently in the piece, sharing how pairing clinician engagement with Care Navigation is changing what access to care actually looks like.

The problem: directories that go stale the moment they're published

As the article lays out, one of the biggest barriers to mental healthcare access isn't a lack of providers, it's that most directories can't be trusted. Up to 80% of provider directories are inaccurate, and "in-network" providers are often unavailable, a phenomenon known as the ghost network. More than 122 million Americans live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, and members chasing an outdated directory listing often give up before they ever get connected to care.

TPN.health's approach: a living network, not a static list

Colhoun explained why TPN.health was built differently:

"With more than 130,000 behavioral health providers using TPN.health regularly for free continuing education, license tracking, peer connection and now referrals, we have real-time visibility into who is active, what they treat, where they work, which states they are licensed in and whether they are accepting new patients. Providers log in an average of over 7 times per month, giving us an accurate picture of which clinicians are available."

That real-time data is paired with a Care Navigator, a licensed clinician who works directly with the member:

"When the member recognizes they need help, instead of starting a directory search they text a number to get connected to a licensed Care Navigator. The member does not need to self-diagnose, decode a network, or call multiple offices to try to make an appointment with a provider who might not be a fit for them. Their dedicated Care Navigator gathers clinical and personal context, then routes them to the right care based on their needs and preferences, whether that is outpatient therapy or a specialty program."

This dual capability, Colhoun noted, matters most in rural and underserved areas, where traditional networks are thinnest:

"Care Navigators support members in accessing in-person or virtual care and can draw on our extensive network of providers that span the full continuum of care, to find the right provider, not just a provider. What separates TPN.health from other behavioral health access solutions is a national, engaged provider base, up-to-date availability and provider specialty data and human-led Care Navigation to meet the member in the moment and guide them through the process of finding the right care."

The results

On average, members receive a response to their text within 10 minutes, are placed within 1 business day, and have their first visit within 7 days. Across the network:

• Time to first appointment improves 92%

• Patient-provider match accuracy reaches 95.2%

• Treatment dropout falls 65%

Lowering the total cost of care

Beyond access, Colhoun pointed to the financial impact for employers. TPN.health's credentialing and claims processing works alongside the Care Navigator model to clean up provider flow from the start:

"Additionally, we provide comprehensive credentialing and claims processing, further streamlining all procedures associated with provider flow to seamlessly deliver accurate qualifications and clean claims. This results in lower costs to the employer — a significant benefit that helps them to lower the total cost of care."

By using the Care Navigator as the front-end starting point, employers realize 15% savings on claims tied to eliminating unnecessary, historically billed visits.

"This approach reduces both administrative and medical costs by purging bad claims data, improving credentialing and network management and significantly enhancing member satisfaction," Colhoun concluded.

Read the full feature

TPN.health's approach was featured alongside a broader look at the innovations shaping behavioral health access in 2026, from AI-powered diagnostics to psychedelics policy to virtual care. Read the complete piece in the July 2026 issue of The Self-Insurer.