Operational Stress Control Service: An Organizational Program to Support Health Care Worker Well-Being.

OBJECTIVE: This manuscript details the methods, outcomes, and lessons learned from a successful multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary, institutional response to HCW well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Operational Stress Control Service (OSCS) is a model for the prevention and management of stress and trauma implemented within an occupational system. Communication, Employee Wellness, and Intervention were targeted program aspects, adapted from an established US military protocol. RESULTS: Since April 2020, OSCS has received 4660 unique survey responses; reached 1007 employees in-person; informed 125 leadership-hosted videoconferences; and assisted 13 departments with grief and morale-related challenges. CONCLUSIONS: OSCS improved communication across the organization and allowed for rapid deployment of solutions to maintain effective operations. Results highlight the benefit of multiple avenues of frequent, bottom-up, and top-down communication. Creating such services during times of normalcy might be considered in preparation for future crisis.

Opportunities to improve measurement-based care practices in mental health care systems: A case example of electronic mental health screening and measurement.

INTRODUCTION: Measurement-based care (MBC) involves the systematic collection of data to inform clinical decision-making and monitor treatment outcomes. In addition to benefitting patients and providers, data on MBC implementation can also be used to inform quality improvement efforts within existing health care systems. METHOD: The method was retrospective chart review. We collected data on electronic mental health (MH) screens and symptom measures recorded by MH providers. Patients were 28,376 veterans who received MH services in a northeastern region. RESULTS: Although rates varied by MH condition and clinic type, screening for alcohol misuse, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder appeared to occur with regularity. MH symptom measurement was less frequent than screening but included measures of alcohol and substance use, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation. Patient demographics (e.g., age, military service era, sex, MH diagnosis) and frequency of clinic contact emerged as significant predictors of symptom measurement. DISCUSSION: In this article, we illustrate how data on MH screening and measurement can be organized, analyzed, and interpreted to identify opportunities to enhance MBC practices in MH care. We conclude with a discussion of how large data set analyses can contribute to programmatic MBC initiatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Patient outcomes associated with primary care behavioral health services: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review focused on Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) services delivered under normal clinic conditions that included the patient outcomes of: 1) access/utilization of behavioral health services, 2) health status, and 3) satisfaction. METHOD: Following PRISMA guidelines, comprehensive database searches and rigorous coding procedures rendered 36 articles meeting inclusion criteria. The principle summary measures of odd ratios or Cohen's d effect sizes were reported. RESULTS: Due to significant limitations in the methodological rigor of reviewed studies, robust findings only emerged for healthcare utilization: PCBH is associated with shorter wait-times for treatment, higher likelihood of engaging in care, and attending a greater number of visits. Several small, uncontrolled studies report emerging evidence that functioning, depression, and anxiety improve overtime. There was no evidence of greater improvement in patient health status when PCBH was compared to other active treatments. The limited available evidence supports that patient satisfaction with PCBH services is high. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of PCBH services is ahead of the science supporting the usefulness of these services. Patient outcomes for PCBH are weaker than outcomes for Collaborative Care. More rigorous investigations of patient outcomes associated with PCBH are needed to allow for optimization of services.

Electronic Medical Record Documentation of Driving Safety for Veterans with Diagnosed Dementia.

OBJECTIVES: Many older adults continue to drive following dementia diagnosis, with medical providers increasingly likely to be involved in addressing such safety concerns. This study examined electronic medical record (EMR) documentation of driving safety for veterans with dementia (N = 118) seen in Veterans Affairs primary care and interdisciplinary geriatrics clinics in one geographic region over a 10-year period. METHODS: Qualitative directed content analysis of retrospective EMR data. RESULTS: Assessment of known risk factors or subjective concerns for unsafe driving were documented in fewer than half of observed cases; specific recommendations for driving safety were evident for a minority of patients, with formal driving evaluation the most frequently documented recommendation by providers. CONCLUSION: Utilizing data from actual clinical encounters provides a unique snapshot of how driving risk and safety concerns are addressed for veterans with dementia. This information provides a meaningful frame of reference for understanding potential strengths and possible gaps in how this important topic area is being addressed in the course of clinical care. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The EMR is an important forum for interprofessional communication, with documentation of driving risk and safety concerns an essential element for continuity of care and ensuring consistency of information delivered to patients and caregivers.

Narrative review of provider behavior in primary care behavioral health: How process data can inform quality improvement.

OBJECTIVE: Primary care behavioral health (PCBH) is a population-based approach to delivering mental and behavioral health care in the primary care setting. Implementation of the PCBH model varies across practice settings, which can impact how PCBH providers deliver services to patients and in turn may predict a variety of important outcomes. This article aims to characterize PCBH provider engagement in key processes of integrated care as demonstrated in results from empirical studies of real-world clinical practice. METHOD: For this narrative review of published studies on PCBH provider engagement in processes of care, PubMed and PsycINFO databases were searched from January 1990 through May 2016 to identify relevant articles. RESULTS: Provider adherence to the brief, time-limited treatment model appears suboptimal. Common mental health conditions, such as depression, were often the primary focus of provider attention, with less consistent emphasis on behavioral medicine concerns. Whereas providers regularly conducted qualitative functional assessments with patients, routine use of standardized measures was low. Engagement in interprofessional collaboration with the primary care team was also low, but engagement in behaviors that fostered therapeutic relationships was high. DISCUSSION: This review identified several strengths and weaknesses of typical PCBH provider practices. Results are discussed in relation to their value as areas for future quality improvement initiatives that can improve PCBH service delivery and, ultimately, patient outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

Mental health measurement among women veterans receiving co-located, collaborative care services.

Routine use of measurement to identify patient concerns and track treatment progress is critical to high quality patient care. This is particularly relevant to the Primary Care Behavioral Health model, where rapid symptom assessment and effective referral management are critical to sustaining population-based care. However, research suggests that women who receive treatment in co-located collaborative care settings utilizing the PCBH model are less likely to be assessed with standard measures than men in these settings. The current study utilized regional retrospective data obtained from the Veterans Health Administration's electronic medical record system to: (1) explore rates of mental health measurement for women receiving co-located collaborative care services (N = 1008); and (2) to identify predictors of mental health measurement in women veterans in these settings. Overall, only 8% of women had documentation of standard mental health measures. Measurement was predicted by diagnosis, facility size, length of care episode and care setting. Specifically, women diagnosed with depression were less likely than those with anxiety disorders to have standard mental health measurement documented. Several suggestions are offered to increase the quality of mental health care for women through regular use of measurement in integrated care settings.

Measurement of Common Mental Health Conditions in VHA Co-located, Collaborative Care.

The VA has integrated psychologists and other licensed mental health providers, known collectively as co-located collaborative care (CCC) providers, into patients' primary care medical homes to improve mental health services for veterans. However, it is unclear if CCC providers are routinely using mental health measures as part of evidence-based, coordinated care. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of CCC provider utilization of brief, validated measures. A retrospective review of VA electronic medical records from 8403 veterans diagnosed with depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, or anxiety disorder was conducted. Results indicated that 23 % of the sample had a screening or brief symptom measure documented by a CCC provider. Likelihood of measurement was predicted by primary diagnosis, length of care episode, CCC provider credential, and clinic setting. Future research should address factors impacting measurement practices of CCC providers in order to develop implementation strategies for advancing measurement-based mental health care.

Outpatient health care utilization in a sample of cognitively impaired veterans receiving care in VHA geriatric evaluation and management clinics.

Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Geriatric Evaluation And Management (GEM) clinics are designed specifically to address the needs of older veterans with complex age-related concerns, including dementia and comorbid medical and mental health conditions. Previous literature describes aging veterans as having greater health care needs compared with age-matched nonveteran samples, and multimorbidity is of particular concern in this population. Using data extracted from electronic medical records (EMRs), the present study describes the demographic characteristics, mental health diagnoses, and health care utilization of a sample of 476 VHA GEM patients with diagnosed cognitive impairment or dementia seen in clinics across Upstate New York. Examination of EMR data demonstrated that in addition to diagnosed cognitive impairment and dementia, over 66% of the sample had at least 1 additional mental health diagnosis coded during the study period. Many were prescribed dementia medications and/or other psychotropic medications, predominantly antidepressants. These veterans utilized a variety of outpatient services, including high rates of mental health consultation subsequent to GEM evaluation, though low rates of mental health follow-up were observed. Results from the current study provide insight into the important role mental health providers such as psychologists and psychiatrists can play as collaborators in interdisciplinary geriatrics care for veterans.

A program to improve detection of undiagnosed dementia in primary care and its association with healthcare utilization.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias are common and costly, with increased healthcare utilization for patients with these disorders. The current study describes a novel dementia detection program for veterans and examines whether program-eligible patients have higher healthcare utilization than age-matched comparison patients. DESIGN: Using a telephone-based case-finding approach, the detection program used risk factors available in the electronic medical record (EMR) and telephone-based brief cognitive screening. Holding illness severity constant, dementia detection and healthcare utilization were compared across age-matched groups with and without program risk factors. SETTING: Five Veterans Affairs Healthcare Network Upstate New York primary care clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans aged 70 years and older. MEASUREMENTS: EMR data and the Charlson comorbidity index. RESULTS: Program-eligible patients (n = 5,333) demonstrated significantly greater levels of medical comorbidity relative to comparison patients and were on average more than twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital. They also had nearly double the number of outpatient visits to several services. Similar patterns were seen in those who screened positive on a brief cognitive measure, compared with those who screened negative. CONCLUSIONS: A novel program using EMR data to assist in the detection of newly diagnosed dementia in a clinical setting was found to be useful in identifying older veterans with multiple comorbid medical conditions and increased utilization of hospital and clinic services. Results suggest undetected cognitive impairment and dementia may significantly contribute to healthcare utilization and costs of care in older veterans.

Developing a measure of provider adherence to improve the implementation of behavioral health services in primary care: a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: The integration of behavioral health services into primary care is increasingly popular, yet fidelity of implementation in this area has been infrequently assessed due to the few measurement tools available. A sentinel indicator of fidelity of implementation is provider adherence, or utilization of prescribed procedures and engagement in model-specific behaviors. This study aimed to develop the first self-report measure of behavioral health provider adherence for co-located, collaborative care, a commonly adopted model of behavioral health service delivery in primary care. METHODS: A preliminary 56-item measure was developed by the research team to represent critical components of adherence among behavioral health providers. To ensure the content validity of the measure, a modified Delphi study was conducted using a panel of co-located, collaborative care model experts. During three rounds of emailed surveys, panel members provided qualitative feedback regarding item content while rating each item's relevance for behavioral health provider practice. Items with consensus ratings of 80% or greater were included in the final adherence measure. RESULTS: The panel consisted of 25 experts representing the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and academic and community health centers (total study response rate of 76%). During the Delphi process, two new items were added to the measure, four items were eliminated, and a high level of consensus was achieved on the remaining 54 items. Experts identified 38 items essential for model adherence, six items compatible (although not essential) for model adherence, and 10 items that represented prohibited behaviors. Item content addressed several domains, but primarily focused on behaviors related to employing a time-limited, brief treatment model, the scope of patient concerns addressed, and interventions used by providers. CONCLUSIONS: This study yielded the first content valid self-report measure of critical components of collaborative care adherence for use by behavioral health providers in primary care. Although additional psychometric evaluation is necessary, this measure may assist implementation researchers in clarifying how provider behaviors contribute to clinical outcomes. This measure may also assist clinical stakeholders in monitoring implementation and identifying ways to support frontline providers in delivering high quality services.