Ghost Networks Are Failing Your Workforce’s Mental Health

May 9, 2025

You’re investing in mental health care—but are your employees actually getting it? In many traditional EAPs and health plans, ghost networks make it seem like help is available when it’s not. As a result, employees go without care, burnout rises, and your investment goes to waste. Ghost networks aren’t just a hidden flaw—they're a serious threat to your workforce’s well-being. 

What is a ghost network?

You reach out for help and hit a dead end. The number’s disconnected. The therapist isn’t accepting new clients. They don’t take your insurance anymore. It's like chasing a mirage. This is a ghost network—provider directories that look full on paper but fall apart when people actually seek care. 

Ghost networks aren’t just frustrating, they’re a serious barrier to mental health care. People are left waiting, discouraged, or giving up altogether. And when employees can’t get the support they need, performance, morale, and retention suffer.

Ghost networks include:

• Retired, relocated, or out-of-network providers
• Disconnected or wrong phone numbers
• Offices that no longer exist
• Therapists with full caseloads or mile-long waitlists
• Clinicians who never accepted your insurance—or no longer do
• Directory errors and outdated information

Take Paul, for example. After weeks of feeling overwhelmed, he reached out for help through his health plan. He called several therapists: one number was disconnected, two weren’t accepting new clients, and one therapist had left the practice—three years ago.

By the end of the week, he felt even more discouraged. “I worked up the courage to ask for help—and it felt like no one was there,” he said.

This is the hidden cost of ghost networks. They create the illusion of access but leave people stranded when they need help most. They don’t just waste time—they delay or deny critical care.

The hidden cost of ghost networks

Ghost networks carry real consequences for both employees and employers. 

For employees:

• More than half of U.S. adults with a mental illness go without treatment, and ghost networks are part of the problem
• When in-network care is a dead end, people are forced to go out-of-network, driving up costs—or they give up on care entirely
• People spend hours chasing disconnected numbers or unavailable provide, which is exhausting and delays recovery
• Ghost networks hit marginalized communities the hardest, widening existing gaps in mental health access
• Over time, barriers to care erode trust in benefits, employers, and the hope that help is even possible

For employers:

• Delayed or missed care can lead to reduced productivity and higher rates of burnout and turnover 
• Out-of-network claims drive up company health care costs 
• Ghost networks block ROI – no access means no measurable outcomes
• Ghost networks stall DEI and retention since marginalized employees are disproportionately impacted when support falls short

If your people can’t access care, it doesn’t matter what your benefits look like on paper. The experience is the benefit. And ghost networks are breaking it.

How to avoid ghost networks

Traditional mental health benefits haven’t kept pace with today’s needs. Beyond ghost networks, many offer too few sessions, limited navigation support, and care that isn’t always evidence-based. They often can’t handle complex or ongoing mental health issues, and employees are noticing.

It’s time to stop settling for broken, costly systems. Instead, look for mental health solutions with:

• Accurate, real-time availability: No guessing. No ghosts. Just providers who are ready to help.
• Fast appointments: Days, not weeks. Because when someone’s struggling, they can’t afford to wait.
• Personalized matching: Care from providers employees connect with and trust.
• Culturally responsive care: Providers who understand and reflect the lived experiences of your diverse workforce.
• Human support, not just a directory: Guided care navigation, so employees have a clear path to right kind of care

Behind the scenes, strong partners will:

• Guarantee access to care and track follow-through
• Audit and update provider directories regularly
• Confirm provider availability and network status in real time
• Power search and booking with AI matching and specialty filters
• Highlight providers who are actively accepting new patients
• Collect member feedback and continuously improve the experience

This is how you move from a ghost network’s illusion of care to real, life-changing support. It’s how you build trust—and get results.

Rethink your mental health benefit

If you spot a ghost network, it’s time for a change. Start by asking:

• Can employees actually access care when they need it?
• Are provider directories accurate and updated regularly?
• Is the care evidence-based and able to support a range of needs, from everyday stress to complex conditions?
• Do employees get help finding the right provider, or are they left to figure it out on their own?
• Is care culturally responsive?
• Are you seeing the outcomes you expect?

If the answer isn’t clear, it’s time to explore alternatives.

Lyra is a comprehensive solution that checks all these boxes. With fast access to one of the biggest owned networks of high-quality providers, proven care models, and personalized support, we make it easier for people to get better—and for employers to see results.