Enhanced Integration of Behavioral/Mental Health Care at a Nurse-Managed Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Southern Appalachia
Location
Culp Ballroom
Start Date
4-7-2022 9:00 AM
End Date
4-7-2022 12:00 PM
Poster Number
62
Faculty Sponsor’s Department
Nursing
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Judith Rice
Competition Type
Non-Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Project's Category
Healthcare and Medicine
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Enhanced Integration of Behavioral/Mental Health Care at a Nurse-Managed Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Southern Appalachia is a quality improvement project to be completed at a university-affiliated FQHC that offers a variety of primary care and co-located ancillary and specialty services with income-based payment guidelines. The purpose of the project is to identify perceived barriers to internal BMH referrals and evaluate team members’ opinions of the acceptability, adoptability, and applicability of the integrated processes at the clinic site. Whereas positive patient outcomes related to BMH care integration are well-established, activities of this project are focused on measuring these process-based outcomes that are valuable for making successful changes in standard practices. Using a customized Likert-scale questionnaire, team-members will be invited to participate by providing responses before and after seeing a project overview presentation and engaging in practice changes orchestrated by BMH clinicians. Improvements in interpersonal communication methods and demonstration of workflow pathways that deviate from the established practices aim to introduce and prepare the care team for a cultural shift to fully integrated services that focus on whole-person health. Anticipated findings following implementation include a modest increase in the perceived acceptability, adoptability, and applicability of the integrated care model. Primary limitations of this quality improvement project include inadequate human resources due to delays in the hiring process for behavioral/mental health clinicians. Additionally, logistic considerations for maintaining BMH clinician ability to provide care for established patients while being available for integrated care consultations were under-estimated.
Enhanced Integration of Behavioral/Mental Health Care at a Nurse-Managed Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Southern Appalachia
Culp Ballroom
Enhanced Integration of Behavioral/Mental Health Care at a Nurse-Managed Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Southern Appalachia is a quality improvement project to be completed at a university-affiliated FQHC that offers a variety of primary care and co-located ancillary and specialty services with income-based payment guidelines. The purpose of the project is to identify perceived barriers to internal BMH referrals and evaluate team members’ opinions of the acceptability, adoptability, and applicability of the integrated processes at the clinic site. Whereas positive patient outcomes related to BMH care integration are well-established, activities of this project are focused on measuring these process-based outcomes that are valuable for making successful changes in standard practices. Using a customized Likert-scale questionnaire, team-members will be invited to participate by providing responses before and after seeing a project overview presentation and engaging in practice changes orchestrated by BMH clinicians. Improvements in interpersonal communication methods and demonstration of workflow pathways that deviate from the established practices aim to introduce and prepare the care team for a cultural shift to fully integrated services that focus on whole-person health. Anticipated findings following implementation include a modest increase in the perceived acceptability, adoptability, and applicability of the integrated care model. Primary limitations of this quality improvement project include inadequate human resources due to delays in the hiring process for behavioral/mental health clinicians. Additionally, logistic considerations for maintaining BMH clinician ability to provide care for established patients while being available for integrated care consultations were under-estimated.