The Virginia Healthcare board is currently working on a plan to track individual patient details. Discussions are focusing on approaches for bringing the behavioral health central access team into the regular bed team. However, there are talks of rolling back waivers and products to make it more costly, leading to a mismatch of resources that results in longer wait times leading to emergency department boarding for mental health patients. These challenges are leading to staff burnout, making it difficult to identify and engage patients who require timely mental health services, especially those on the autism spectrum.
Telehealth Solutions to Improve Access to Mental Healthcare
Brightside is working with health systems to provide the right kind of care for mental health patients. Through creative methods like collaborative care and dedicating space for psychiatry and behavioral health services in primary care clinics, health systems aim to reduce emergency department admissions. Telehealth is another important tool to improve access to mental healthcare, allowing for intermediate mental healthcare services to identify, engage, and deescalate patients who might require higher touch, higher acuity, and more timely care.
Post-Discharge Follow-Up Care
Mercy Health uses a centralized bed placement model to ensure mental health patients receive the appropriate care quickly. Additionally, they follow up with calls to ensure patients attend appointments, fill medications, and access any necessary services. This post-discharge care helps reduce readmissions, a critical issue in behavioral health, where 1.5% of people with behavioral health diagnoses utilize the emergency room 16 or more times per year. Utilizing technology and telehealth, payers can reach out to emergency departments or hospitals when someone registers, offering support and aiding in follow-up care.
Telehealth Solutions for Suicide Risk Patients
Brightside offers crisis care programs utilizing the CAMS protocol to reduce the risk of suicidality. They monitor patients' symptoms and side effects, and they have a team of clinicians trained in this type of care. The referral tool enables them to quickly partner with health systems and share treatment updates back to the referring provider.
Decrease in Physical Activity among Teens Linked to Health Problems
A recent study has linked decreased physical activity among teens to an increase in sedentary activities such as watching television and playing video games, leading to obesity and other health problems.
Note: This is an AI generated transcript, not edited by a staff writer and is solely intended for educational purposes. If you have any questions/concerns, reach out to events@beckershealthcare.com
This panel was live on 04/03/2023 at the event listed here.
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