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The Five Big Benefits of Care Coordination in evolvedMD’s Enhanced Psychiatric CoCM

Written by Evan Sakrison | Oct 11, 2022 4:22:28 PM

Better for patients. Better for providers.

Mental health therapists are exhausted. Not only are they expected to manage impossible caseloads, but they must also provide care coordination services between sessions. This traditional model leads to burnout, causing therapists and counselors to leave the field, and of course, decreases access to services for patients who desperately need them.

Patients and mental health providers deserve better.

To combat these stressors and deliver comprehensive care, evolvedMD leverages the most unique component of its enhanced Psychiatric Collaborative Care Model: an in-house Care Coordination team, to ensure that our passionate providers can focus on what they love and what they do best: provide meaningful interventions to patients. Having a dedicated support system working alongside onsite therapists translates into an exceptional patient experience all around.

Where does Care Coordination fit into evolvedMD’s model?



Our unique, onsite, and ongoing approach turns primary care practices into a comprehensive solution for all physical and behavioral health services. Care Coordinators assist patients’ care plans by:

  • Maintaining close communication with our Behavioral Health Managers (mental health therapists embedded at the primary care practices we serve) to monitor their patients’ needs
  • Conducting phone-based outreach to patients to schedule appointments, organize care among different services, and more
  • Connecting patients to community resources relating to housing, food insecurity, and other social determinants of health
  • Offering external support services and compassionate patient advocacy

Ultimately, evolvedMD’s in-house Care Coordination team rounds out our unique, comprehensive approach.

Five benefits of evolvedMD’s Care Coordination team

1. Promotes continuity of care — Our Care Coordinators deliver comprehensive, ongoing, and quality care that reduces fragmentation. Whether it’s booking appointments with Behavioral Health Managers or connecting patients to external services when needed, Care Coordinators ensure the “orderly, uninterrupted movement of patients” to improve patient outcomes.

In Practice: “I would like to give a shoutout to Allison Knox and to all the Care Coordinators for the work they do. A patient shared feeling ‘truly cared for and accompanied’ by Allie through the referral process. They shared that they normally feel like a number in the medical world and that they finally felt treated like a human being. All the little things we do matter!” — Pierre Araman, Behavioral Health Manager

2. Alleviates administrative burden and BHM workload — In traditional settings, the burden is on therapists to perform care coordination services. This causes burnout, turnover, and poor patient satisfaction. Our in-house Care Coordination team helps our Behavioral Health Managers focus on what they do best: delivering best-in-class services to patients.

In Practice: “I wanted to shout out Colton Johnson. I am so impressed by his drive, passion, and all the things he does to support our patients and BHMs. He continues to provide the best support to patients, and this is seen in the pride he takes in his work by ensuring patients get the services they need. Truly an asset to the team with a great attitude and willingness to go above and beyond. Thank you for all you do!” – Robyn Schramer, Associate Care Coordination Manager

3. Targets social determinants of health (SDOH) — SDOH such as poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, and lack of access to critical services cause numerous mental health challenges. evolvedMD’s Care Coordination team can easily connect patients with community resources related to housing, food insecurity, and other SDOH, providing comprehensive care tailored to their situations.

In Practice: Check out our recent blog about tackling SDOH via integrated care and Rovicare’s technology.

4. Increases engagement in therapy and other integrated services — Patients want to trust that the services they receive will fit their needs. That’s why evolvedMD’s Care Coordination team connects patients to high-quality behavioral health services and ensures they’re completing their appointments. When Care Coordinators check in via phone call, they are increasing the likelihood of making an appointment and ensuring patients keep to their BHM appointments and external services.

In Practice: “Shoutout to Jordan Patterson. I received an email this morning from a patient’s parent who has had a difficult year with mental health issues. They needed referrals quickly and reached out to Jordan for guidance. Jordan was very proficient with directing them to the correct doctors needed. Jordan was empathetic and followed up every day to make sure they were able to set up appointments with mental health professionals.” — Joy Simon, Care Coordination Manager

5. Increases patient satisfaction — Care Coordination services play a significant role in treating the whole patient. Collaborating with Behavioral Health Managers and external services when needed, our Care Coordinators significantly improve overall safety and quality of care, addressing whole patient needs and decreasing return visits compared to traditional settings.

In Practice: “Way to go, Janet Robles! A patient came in last week scoring low on the PHQ9. They presented as hopeless noting they have done services with little to no improvement. The patient agreed to outside weekly individual counseling. Janet contacted them right away, listened to their needs, validated them, and helped them get set up with an outside agency. The patient came in today and said, ‘This is the best I have felt in 4-5 months.’ The simple act of Janet being able to help the patient get scheduled instilled hope.” — Joy Simon, Care Coordination Manager

 

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