Untreated Perinatal Depression Costs The U.S. $14 Billion Every Year — This Founder Has A Solution

Key Concepts

• Perinatal Depression: Mood disorder affecting individuals during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth.
• Women's Mental Health: Focus on mental health challenges specific to women, particularly during motherhood.
• Integrated Care Model: Combining individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management for comprehensive treatment.
• Tech-Enabled Healthcare: Using technology to improve access, efficiency, and integration of mental healthcare services.
• In-Network Insurance Coverage: Ensuring that mental healthcare services are covered by insurance plans, making them more affordable.
• OBGYN Integration: Partnering with OBGYN practices to screen and refer patients for mental health treatment.
• Group Therapy: Utilizing group sessions to provide social support and reduce the cost of care.
• Health Equity: Addressing disparities in access to mental healthcare, particularly for underserved populations like Medicaid recipients.
• Return on Investment (ROI): Demonstrating the economic benefits of investing in maternal mental health, such as reduced healthcare costs and improved outcomes.

1. The Perinatal Depression Crisis

• Prevalence: Approximately one in seven people in the United States experience perinatal depression, affecting over half a million Americans annually.
• Underdiagnosis and Undertreatment: Many individuals with perinatal depression are not diagnosed or receive appropriate treatment.
• Barriers to Care:
  • Shortage of specialized therapists.
  • Lack of insurance coverage for mental health services.
  • Stigma associated with mental health conditions.
  • OBGYNs, despite being mandated to screen patients, often lack reliable referral resources (only 20% screen effectively).
• Impact: Untreated perinatal depression leads to poor birth outcomes and significant healthcare costs.

2. Seven Starling: A Solution-Oriented Approach

• Mission: Seven Starling is a women's mental health company providing specialized treatment for mental health challenges during the motherhood journey, including fertility challenges, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and miscarriage, postpartum, and early parenthood.
• Comprehensive Care Model:
  • Individual therapy.
  • Group therapy (average group size of seven).
  • Medication management (psychiatric nurse practitioner or psychiatrist support).
• Proven Outcomes: Over 90% of Seven Starling patients experience statistically significant improvement in their depression symptoms.
• Technology Integration:
  • Seamless referral mechanism for OBGYNs (one-click referral).
  • Screening solutions, preventive care, and education programs.
  • Integrated tech that integrates into referring providers systems.
• Partnerships: Collaborates with over 1500 actively referring OBGYNs across 18 states and 450 clinics, 40 hospitals.
• Insurance Coverage: Broad in-network commercial and Medicaid coverage (96% of patients use their insurance).

3. Rethink Impact's Investment in Seven Starling

• Market Failure: Rethink Impact views maternal mental health as a high market failure ripe for tech disruption.
• Integrated Approach: Seven Starling's integrated approach, combining technology and human support, is a key differentiator.
• Data-Driven: The company deeply understands the data and has an effective approach to addressing the crisis.
• Key Metrics:
  • 90% of patients see statistically significant clinical outcomes.
  • 40% of users had never gotten mental health care until Seven Starling.
• Leadership: Tina Kashani's personal experience and business acumen (Warby Parker experience) were critical factors in Rethink Impact's investment decision.
• Payer Relationships: Existing relationships with payers covering a hundred million lives and Medicaid coverage were significant advantages.
• Tech Utilization: Effective use of technology and AI to streamline processes like insurance verification.

4. The $8 Million Funding Round and Expansion Plans

• Funding: Seven Starling raised an $8 million round, bringing their total funding to about $22 million.
• Use of Funds:
  • National expansion to reach more women across the country (aiming for 30 states by the end of next year).
  • Accelerate tech innovations to reduce barriers to care.
  • Build large-scale partnerships with more plans and health systems.
• Patient Outcome Study: Published first patient outcome study demonstrating the effectiveness of their specialized care model.

5. The Economic Impact of Maternal Mental Health

• Avoidable Healthcare Costs: $14 billion in avoidable healthcare costs are driven by untreated maternal mental health conditions.
• Cost Drivers: Poor birth outcomes and suicide (the number one cause of death for women within a year after giving birth) contribute to these costs.
• Payer Interest: Health plans recognize the significant financial impact of untreated maternal mental health and are eager to partner with solutions like Seven Starling.
• Group Therapy Cost-Effectiveness: Group therapy is a core component of Seven Starling's program, making it a more affordable and scalable option, especially for Medicaid plans.

6. Medicaid and Health Equity

• Medicaid Importance: 40% of moms are on Medicaid, making it crucial to support these individuals to solve the problem.
• Medicaid Cuts: While there are proposed cuts to Medicaid, maternal care is generally considered a priority.
• Bipartisan Support: There is a general understanding that healthy mothers are critical for healthy children and a healthy society.

7. The Significance of the Name "Seven Starling"

• Starling Murmurations: Starlings are known for creating beautiful murmurations in the sky, representing community and connection.
• Power of Seven: Starlings stay together by following their seven closest neighbors, symbolizing the importance of community support.
• Group Size: Seven Starling's groups tend to have an average of seven people, reinforcing the community aspect.

8. The Future of Group Therapy

• Accessibility: Group therapy is seen as a way to address the inaccessibility of traditional therapy.
• Economic and Results Standpoint: Group therapy is effective from both an economic and results standpoint.
• Broader Adoption: Other mental health startups are exploring group therapy models for different patient populations.

9. Personal Mission and Motivation

• Founder's Experience: Tina Kashani and her co-founder have both navigated their own mental health struggles while building their families.
• Personal Connection: Tina is currently pregnant with her second child, making the mission deeply personal.
• Impact and Fulfillment: The work is fulfilling from both an impact and personal perspective.

10. Synthesis/Conclusion

Seven Starling is addressing the critical issue of perinatal depression through an integrated, tech-enabled care model that combines individual therapy, group therapy, and medication management. Their partnerships with OBGYNs and insurance providers, including Medicaid, are expanding access to affordable care for women across the country. With a recent $8 million funding round, Seven Starling is poised for further growth and innovation, aiming to reach more moms and have a significant impact on maternal mental health. The company's success is driven by a data-driven approach, a focus on health equity, and a personal commitment from the founders to improve the lives of mothers.