A new pilot program at Detroit-based Henry Ford Health is expanding to help address the challenges and barriers of behavioral health. The goal is to provide greater access to mental health care for patients.
The Same-Day Solutions Ambulatory Pilot Program connects patients who raise mental health concerns during a primary care visit with a licensed behavioral health provider who provides a timely mental health assessment and guides the patient to the services that best meet their needs.
Over the past year, the number of patients who completed a behavioral health appointment after being referred for care increased by 50 percent at pilot sites, while behavioral health work queues declined by as much as 85 percent.
Among the persistent challenges in behavioral health is connecting patients with the right services when they need them most. Long wait lists, complex referral processes, and provider shortages can cause delays, leaving some to seek care in emergency departments or go without support altogether.
“Demand for mental health services continues to grow, and we have an obligation to find smart solutions to provide our patients with the quality care they deserve,” says Dr. Deepak Prabkakar, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Henry Ford Health.
“This unique model, which we developed at Henry Ford Health, is helping patients receive the right care sooner and allowing our behavioral health providers to focus their expertise where it is needed most.”
One year after its launch, the pilot program is live in 14 Henry Ford Health primary care clinics across metro Detroit, with plans to expand throughout the health system in the coming years.
While behavioral health concerns often surface during primary care visits, physicians may have limited time and information during a routine appointment to determine the best pathway for successful treatment.
Under the Same-Day Solutions Ambulatory Model, patients who raise mental health concerns during a primary care visit are quickly connected with behavioral health support.
Before leaving their doctor’s office, they are scheduled for a telehealth consultation with a licensed behavioral health provider. This provider helps to clarify the patient’s needs and coordinate the most appropriate next step in care. They can also assess whether emergency intervention is needed and provide the necessary care.
The new model provides physicians another tool to better serve patients, says Dr. Emmanuel Dizon, a primary care physician at Henry Ford Medical Center – Ford Road in Dearborn, the first clinic to adopt the Same-Day Solutions Ambulatory Model.
“As primary care physicians, we are often the first to recognize when a patient needs mental health support, but identifying a concern is only the first step,” says Dizon. “We need a deeper understanding of what’s happening in a patient’s life to determine what kind of support would be most beneficial. Bringing behavioral health experts into the process as soon as a concern is raised gives patients the chance to start that conversation right away and begin developing a plan for moving forward.”
In addition to helping patients reach the right level of care sooner, the Same-Day Solutions Ambulatory Model has streamlined the referral process.
At pilot sites, patients typically complete their initial behavioral health care consultation within days of raising an issue, creating a much faster and more reliable entry point into care.
The model is also helping more patients begin their care journey in the right place. Referrals to specialty services that were not the right fit have declined by 76 percent, reducing unnecessary steps and preserving access for patients who require more specialized care.
Together, these improvements are creating a more responsive path to behavioral health care, ensuring that when patients are ready to ask for help, they are met with a meaningful next step, according to Michael Burton, director of Behavioral Health Integration at Henry Ford Health.
“Expanding access is not only about adding more providers and services. We needed to rethink the front door to behavioral health care,” Burton says. “Instead of asking patients to fit themselves into a particular service, Same-Day Solutions allows us to understand what they need first and build the path from there. That is what a more responsive behavioral health system should look like.”
