Vitality Site Protocol
Referrals, Insuitability & Risk Governance
Protocols for unsuitable referrals, risk management, and communicating with Vitality.
Product Updates & Platform News
1. New Vitality Co-Pay Product
-
Launch Date: Monday 2nd June 2025
-
Vitality launched a new product where clients will co-pay towards their claim. Members with a Vitality Health policy will contribute towards treatment.
2. Wysa Digital Triage Integration
-
Announcement & Context: Back in February, Vitality announced mental health enhancements to its insurance proposition. Vitality has now linked up with Wysa to introduce a digital triage process for clients.
-
What is Wysa? Designed by psychologists, Wysa complements Vitality's wider mental health provision (including Talking Therapies). Powered by Wysa’s coaching platform, it offers access to 150 evidence-based exercises and leverages AI through a conversational interface to deliver personalized interventions.
-
Website: https://www.wysa.com/
-
-
Purpose: To enhance service matching and streamline the client journey.
-
Outcome Measures (OMs) Transfer:
-
When a client completes digital triage and opts for referral to Mindler, Wysa sends their GAD-7 and PHQ-9 questionnaires and Vitality membership details to Mindler confidentially.
-
When the client links their membership number and DOB in Mindler, these OMs populate ready for the initial session.
-
Data Retention Note: If a client does not register with Mindler within 14 days of completion, the data sent by Wysa is deleted. The client can still register normally and complete OMs prior to assessment.
-
-
Clinician Visibility & Question 10:
-
For Wysa-referred clients, OMs will state "Sent from Wysa".
-
Question 10 is intentionally blank (“If you checked off any problems, how difficult have these problems made it...?”). This ensures clients do not have to answer the same items twice in two weeks.
-
-
Impact on Practice: This change does not alter client types or total available sessions; it simply bypasses initial Mindler questionnaires if completed via Wysa within 14 days.
Client Access & Onboarding
Accessing Treatment for the First Time
-
Client Registration: Vitality clients register by linking their policy details in the Mindler app. Vitality shares a database of active policies, allowing instant validation via Membership Number and Date of Birth.
-
Three Access Routes:
-
Telephony Claim: Client calls Vitality and receives a One Time Passcode (OTP) to validate in their Mindler account.
-
Digital Route: Client logs into Care Hub or Member Zone, selects Mindler, and is directed to the Vitality Landing Page for guidance and app download links.
-
Direct in App: Client downloads the Mindler app directly and inputs Membership No + DOB to link their policy.
-
-
Session Allocation: Validated clients are automatically approved for 4 sessions upon registering or adding an OTP for a new claim (Effective from 9th Sept 2024).
-
Policy Validity: All sessions are booked in line with policy terms and are only available while the policy remains active.
Outcome Measures Collected
-
Standard Questionnaires:
-
PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 item)
-
GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder - 7 item)
-
KEDS (Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder scale - 9 item)
-
CORE-10 (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - 10 item)
-
PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 - 20 item)
-
-
Administration & Viewing:
-
Clinicians can assign single or multiple questionnaires via Mindler Care.
-
Guidance resource: How to use questionnaires document.
-
Completed scores are visible to clients in-app (with a disclaimer clarifying it is not a diagnosis) and to clinicians in Mindler Care under the Actions tab.
-
​Treatment Plans & Session Requests
Standard Treatment Plan Workflow
-
Initial Approval: Clients receive 4 sessions upon initial registration.
-
Submitting Plans: If clinical need exists, treatment plans are completed in Juvonno / WebdocX under "New Journal Entry" during initial sessions:
-
First Request (Sessions 5–8): Select "Treatment Plan - First Request 5 to 8 sessions". Email support@mindler.co.uk (cc Antigone where applicable).
-
Second Request (Sessions 9–16): Select "Treatment Plan - Second Request 9 to 16 sessions". Email support@mindler.co.uk (cc Antigone where applicable).
-
Processing: Requests are sent to Vitality via the Daily Activation Report (DAR). Allow at least 5 working days for account updates.
-
Requests for 17+ Sessions: Complete the 17+ sessions intake form in Juvonno and contact Customer Service (CS) to submit to Vitality.
Trauma & OCD Exception
-
Requests must normally be submitted in steps (up to 8, then up to 16).
-
Exception: For clients presenting with Trauma or OCD, complete the Treatment Plan and notify CS (support@mindler.co.uk). CATs will send the full recommended session count directly to Vitality so coverage is confirmed prior to ongoing treatment.
-
Best Practice: Ensure the client has a couple of active sessions remaining when requesting extensions so wrap-up sessions remain available if a request is rejected.
Policy Exclusions & Specific Conditions
-
Vitality Policy Exclusions Lifted: Exclusions previously applied to direct treatment for anger management, sleep disorders, psychosexual treatment, or drug/alcohol abuse no longer apply to talking therapies.
-
Current Rules:
-
Clients can receive treatment for these conditions if appropriate.
-
Coverage requires that treatment actively helps improve the condition (treatment solely to control or manage symptoms is not covered).
-
General progression limits (5–8, 9–16, 17+) still apply.
​
Mindler Exclusion Criteria: Mindler’s digital health platform suitability criteria always take priority
Referrals, Insuitability & Risk Governance
Unsuitable Clients / Step-Up Referrals
Reporting Unsuitability: If a client requires in-person care, a multi-disciplinary team, or is otherwise unsuitable for a digital platform, Vitality must be notified.
​
Submission Process (Mindler Care):
-
Search User ID - Go to Profile - Bookings - Treatments - Codes - Actions.
-
Select Certificate or Referrals - Create Referral.
-
Recipient: Mental Health Team, Vitality.
-
Include: Summary of actions completed, why Mindler is unsuitable, and recommended alternatives/services.
Timeframes:
-
Complex / Risky: Within 24 hours.
-
Less Immediate Concerns: Within 48 hours.
-
Email CS with the User ID to confirm the referral has been logged.
Risk & Vulnerability Reporting
Privacy & Premium Impact: Vitality confirms that risk notifications do not affect a client’s insurance premium. Information is used strictly to fulfill FCA obligations and manage member needs. See Vitality Privacy Notice.
Protocol: Follow Mindler UK Risk Assessment, Management and Escalation SOP first.
Reporting via Mindler Care:
-
Recipient: Specialised Care, Vitality.
-
Required Details: Brief description of concern (e.g., self-harm/risk), actions taken (e.g., safety plan), and explicit requests for Vitality (e.g., psychiatric assessment request).
Note: The Vitality Mental Health Team is administrative and cannot make clinical decisions—requests must be explicitly detailed by the clinician.
Timeframes:
-
High Risk: Within 24 hours.
-
Medium Risk: Within 48 hours.
Templates: Risk Notification Template | Risk Notification Example.
Rule: Never contact Vitality directly using personal/external email addresses.
Billing, Excess & Policy Rules
Invoicing & Excess Payments
Billing Cycle: Invoices are submitted to Vitality via Healthcode within 2 working days of a completed session. Vitality operates on 30-day payment terms.
Policy Excess:
-
Clients choose a fixed excess with Vitality (typically £100, £150, £250, or £500 per year/claim).
-
Mindler has no visibility of a client's excess at registration/booking.
-
Once a session is billed, Vitality returns a remittance specifying if the client owes an excess contribution.
-
Mindler sends an invoice to the client via Stripe. Once the full excess is paid, Vitality covers remaining sessions.
Policy Renewal / Changes: Policy renewal may require paying a new policy-year excess. If benefit levels expire, the client is responsible for costs.
Bad Debt & Self-Funding Options
Credit Control: If an invoice remains unpaid after two reminders, it moves to "Bad Debt".
​
Booking Restrictions: Medical Billing may restrict new bookings until outstanding balances are cleared, though existing scheduled sessions may proceed.
​
Self-Funding Discount: Clients wishing to continue therapy outside policy coverage are entitled to a 10% discount on standard self-funding session fees.
Cancellations, Expirations & No-Shows
Policy Expiration: Sessions can only occur while a policy is active. Sessions scheduled post-expiration are canceled and must be self-funded.
Late Cancellations / No-Shows:
-
Mindler can only invoice Vitality for attended sessions.
-
Cancellations within 24 hours or no-shows cannot be deducted from policy sessions or billed to Vitality.
-
The session token is refunded to the client to rebook. The client may be liable for fees under Mindler's standard cancellation policy.