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Transforming Community Health- A Proposal for Enhancing Our Health Care System

Maureen

Transforming Community Health- A Proposal for Enhancing Our Health Care System

Change Necessity and Proposal

Preventative care for people with any mental health diagnosis is one of the most effective tools for preventing crises and deteriorating a patient’s condition (Czeisler et al., 2021). Mental health diagnoses are increasing daily worldwide, but the number of mental health providers and facilities available is steadily decreasing or remaining stagnant. Improving the ability to provide counseling and medication appointments without in-person appointments is critical for crisis treatment and prevention. Many people will experience breakdowns and mental health crises if additional services are unavailable, leading to increased hospital admissions or suicide, drug use, or other risky behavior (Czeisler et al., 2021). Jamestown, New York, has minimal resources when treating mental health disorders. However, adding services like Telehealth and video counseling to help provide timely and appropriate care is critical for patient satisfaction and success (Myers, 2019). This assessment evaluates the changes made and assists in implementing changes that will benefit patients and their families.

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Advantages and Consequences

Jamestown is a small city in western New York with slightly more than 30,000 people (Surdyk, 2021). The area has two community hospitals, numerous churches of various denominations, nearby shopping centers, and close community living. Because of the hospitals’ size and proximity to other metro areas, the community has a very diverse population, which brings many medically complex problems. Still, special care is lacking locally, so patients who arrive at the hospital may require a transfer for expert consultation (Surdyk, 2021). Many neighborhoods in the city have newer homes, but others are run-down and dilapidated, with condemned homes housing people experiencing homelessness (Surdyk, 2021).

Mental health care in Jamestown is limited because of the scarcity of resources at local facilities. They are implementing a telehealth and video conferencing program to connect patients with a counselor, nurse, and psychiatrist for immediate crisis assistance and long-term counseling and treatment. This program assists patients in avoiding a mental health crisis and ongoing treatment. This would be accomplished by utilizing telehealth services, which helps prevent backlogs in the E.R. and doctor’s offices by allowing appointments to be completed at home (Surdyk, 2021). The virtual conferences help to keep patients connected to their providers, and the scheduled appointment times help to keep them predictable, which is especially important for patients with mental health issues.

Potential Roadblocks

New projects are always fraught with setbacks or potential issues, and new technology is no exception (McClellan et al., 2020). One potential issue with the telehealth program is that some people do not use technology. As a result, video conferencing may be ineffective. Because video conferencing is not the only option for these virtual meetings, anyone can use this service via phone or computer (Sugarman et al., 2021). Privacy protection is another issue that arises as a result of the implementation of new technology programs. Security programs must be integrated to protect a person’s identity and privacy; this is especially important when dealing with personal medical information. This is easily remedied when websites are created and security systems are regularly maintained and updated (Sugarman et al., 2021).

Telehealth is critical for people who live in areas with few specialists or where transportation is difficult. Telehealth oTelehealthits the low-income and elderly by providing access without needing transportation to appointments (Sugarman et al., 2021). The ability to schedule appointments at various times will also assist the working class in maintaining their mental health (McClellan et al., 2020).

Assisting patients and their family members with the initial setup of the application is critical to the success of the telehealth program (Vahip, 2021). Technology will always have its issues; successful setup and testing before the initial appointment will be critical to preventing those issues from spilling over to the patient’s side. If the technology fails, a phone appointment can be scheduled to prevent further problems. This will also give the patient more time to resolve their technology problems, and they will not be required to miss appointments (Vahip, 2021).

Stakeholder Engagement

Case managers and social workers will help ensure that patients keep their appointments, and those staff will conduct quality checks with patients to ensure that they are satisfied with their care. Patient and family satisfaction is critical for service reimbursement and retention (Whedon et al., 2017). Patients who believe they are being listened to, cared for, and cared about will continue to schedule appointments and receive services at home or in an office. A building is not required for a medical practice when using the telehealth service; thus, cost savings will continue to benefit stakeholders.

Insurance companies cover preventative care, and mental health care, like primary care visits, will be covered by a patient’s insurance company, minus a deductible (Whedon et al., 2017). Patients who do not have insurance will be enrolled in a program that will assist them in obtaining insurance through the New York State Medicaid/Medicare program, which will benefit the patient in various ways (Whedon et al., 2017). This will assist the patient with long-term care costs while also preparing the patient for health insurance to obtain affordable primary care and prescriptions.

Preventative appointments with a counselor or psychiatrist on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis help keep communication lines open (McClellan et al., 2020). Setting these appointments regularly will allow patients to continue planning their lives, budget for minor copays, and communicate with family members if they should accompany them to appointments. The use of scheduling around work schedules assists those who work during the day to ensure that patients can make their appointments and not miss work due to doctor visits; patients will be able to make appointments while on a lunch break, before or after work, and on weekends with telehealth appointments (Sugarman et al., 2021). Stakeholders can easily schedule telehealth appointments to continue treating patients without using a facility (Davlasheridze et al., 2018).

Conclusion

One in every five people in the United States suffers from mental health issues. As a result, the available care is critical to successfully treating those people. Telehealth and video conferencing will aid in treating all patients, particularly those who cannot come into the office for appointments. Telehealth and video conferencing will solve many problems for those who have difficulty attending in-office appointments and provide comfort for those who prefer to have appointments in their environment. Telehealth appointments will be covered by health insurance, which will help connect patients with providers who would not have sought assistance otherwise.

Similar Post: Using Technology to Promote Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) About Mental Health (cdc.gov) www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm

Czeisler MÉ, Lane RI, Wiley JF, Czeisler CA, Howard ME, Rajaratnam SMW. A follow-up survey of U.S. adult reports of mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 Pandemic, September 2020. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(2) http://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37665

Davlasheridze, Meri., Goetz, Stephan J., Han, Yicheol. (2018) The effect of mental health on U.S. Count, Economic Growth. The Official Journal of the Southern Regional Science -Association. 155-171.

McClellan, M. J., Florell, D., Palmer, J., & Kidder, C. (2020). Clinician telehealth attitudes in a rural community mental health center setting. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 44(1), 62– 73. https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000127

Myers, C. (2019). Using TelehealthTelehealthate rural mental health and healthcare disparities. Issues in Mental Health Nursing. 40:3, 233–239, DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2018.1499157

Sugarman, Dawn., Horvitz, L., Greenfield, L., Busch. Alisa. (2021) Clinicians’ perceptions of rapid scale-up of telehealth services in outpatient mental health treatment. Telemedicine and e-Health. http://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2020.0481

Surdyk, Crystal D., (2021). www.jamestownny.gov/departments/department-of-development

Vahip, S. (2021). The EPA-council of national associations implementing digital mental health across Europe: Opportunities and Challenges. European Psychiatry, 64(S1), S14-S14. http://doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.59

Whedon, James., Tosteson, Tor, D., Kizhakkeveettil, Anupama., Nagare Kimura, Anupama. (2017). Insurance reimbursement for complementary services. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2017.264-267.http://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2016.0369

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