Telemedicine aids SSM Health in delivering quad the amount of medical care

​SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is an inpatient and outpatient paediatric health centre based in St. Louis, Missouri. Additionally, Missouri has a significant medical shortage, which means there is a significant psychological health provider shortage. THE PROBLEM MODERATION: A community of about 6 million people is served by the overwhelming desire for behavioral health services across the nation. Missouri is especially affected by this situation, where only 200 of the country’s 1, 000 licensed psychologists actually reside there to provide a community of about 6 million. This lack began to deepen even before the COVID-19 crisis, and the need hasn’t let up since. The first time the emergency departments at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital encountered it, behavioral health patients who frequently spent weeks in the operating room without proper beds, awaiting medical assessment and/or position. What makes this crisis particularly hard is its spread. Cognitive health needs are really common, affecting metropolitan, suburban, and remote populations across all economic backgrounds, unlike many other health conditions that may disproportionately affect specific demographics or regions. As a neonatal doctor with an extensive geographic approach, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital serves clients from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and beyond. The ED was forcing families to get problems treatment through the growing waitlists and extended interview lead times, breaking the vicious cycle that was preventing both the behavioral health and the acute treatment and stress patients. These problems made Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital realize the immediate need to increase its clinical capacity through online behavioral care. PROPOSALThe firm quickly realized that telepsychiatry was uniquely suited to its demands when it looked for solutions to its cognitive health accessibility issues. ” Unlike many other disciplines, behavioral health rarely requires physical examination – making it perhaps the purest, most perfect apply event for healthcare service”, said Chris DiGiusto, vice president of mobile solutions at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon. With this in mind, we looked for vendors who could offer dedicated medical care while being aware of the distinct needs of a pediatric hospital. Iris Telehealth stood out for two important factors in our evaluation of various options: its consistent track record of fulfilling promises made to other institutions and its willingness to develop in a real partnership that was relationship-focused rather than interpersonal. ” The proposal was intentionally designed to scale incrementally. The organization would begin with a one full-time, dedicated psychiatrist who would concentrate solely on Cardinal Glennon’s patients, with the understanding that Iris Telehealth would add additional psychiatric capacity as needed,” DiGiusto explained. This measured approach allowed us to establish and refine our workflows before expanding. The proposal also addressed the stringent requirements of our multi-state service area, making sure Iris Telehealth psychiatrists were permitted to practice in all of Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and the surrounding states, a crucial consideration given our hospital’s extensive geographic reach. Meeting the challengers Glennon built its telemedicine program around its current Epic EHR platform, which provides a single point of contact for patient care. The tele-psychiatrists connect with patients through Epic’s integrated video platform, ensuring a seamless experience for providers and patients “.This integration was crucial, as it allows our Iris Telehealth psychiatrists to work within the same system as our in-house teams, maintaining continuity of care and streamlining documentation,” DiGiusto said “.The success of our program relies heavily on what we call our ‘ wraparound services,’ “he continued”. Our team evaluates patient readiness before each visit, from registration and insurance authorization to patient readiness testing. We emphasize patient engagement, ensuring they are ready and eager to take part in their care. ” After a psychiatric evaluation, the comprehensive care team – including PhD psychologists, counselors, licensed clinical social workers and nurse navigators – follows through on the psychiatrist’s treatment directives, providing ongoing therapeutic support “.Getting new Iris psychiatrists up and running in our system takes about three months,” DiGiusto noted”. This includes Epic training, hospital privileging, multi-state licensing and payer enrollment. ” While the technical aspects are important, what really makes this work is treating it as an integrated care program rather than just a technology implementation”, he added. ResultsBehavioral health virtual care has produced significant improvements across a number of important metrics.” The psychiatrists become true extensions of our team. ” Most notably, we’ve tripled our psychiatric activity volume, dramatically increasing access to care”, DiGiusto reported. We’ve reduced our no-show and same-day cancellation rates from 21 % to just 7 %, ensuring we’re making the most of our psychiatric resources, he continued.” The percentage of new patients scheduled within 14 days has increased from 14 % to more than 60 %, meaning more children are getting the care they need when they need it. The emergency department’s likely most significant accomplishment was the one that saw a 50 % decrease in the average hold time for behavioral health patients awaiting evaluation and placement. This improvement is especially important because, according to DiGiusto, these cases frequently involve crisis situations where timely intervention can save lives.” Many of these patients are now being identified and treated through our outpatient services before their conditions escalate to an emergency status, “he explained. These statistics, which include Missouri’s largest behavioral health provider, show real progress in meeting the significant psychiatric care demands in our region, even though we recognize that more needs to be done. Advice for Other Organizations DiGiusto advises businesses looking into telemedicine as a means of fostering relationships rather than just a technological development or contractual arrangement. Finding vendors who are willing to develop alongside the healthcare system and who are willing to look beyond the technology itself to determine how the program will integrate with one’s existing workflows and support services, he continued,” Success comes from finding vendors that understand one’s specific needs and are willing to grow alongside the healthcare organization.” Focus on developing robust wraparound services that keep patients and providers informed throughout the care process. This approach includes everything from simple registration and scheduling procedures to skilled nursing staff who oversee patient preparation and follow-up. ” While the technology enables service delivery, it’s the human elements – the care coordinators, social workers, psychologists and support staff – that truly make these programs successful”, he concluded. Consider beginning small and gradually increasing as you improve your procedures and increase your program confidence.
Email him: bsiwicki@himss .org
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