Name
Opening Doors and Closing the Gaps: Utilizing a Behavioral Health Access Manager (BHAM) Role to Improve Access, Reduce Delays, and Strengthen LOS Determination in Large Hospital Systems
Description

Large hospital systems face highly fragmented behavioral health access pathways, with patients entering through multiple high‑volume, high‑acuity sources that operate with inconsistent workflows and urgency standards. This fragmentation contributes to prolonged wait times, inconsistent levels‑of‑service (LOS) decisions, referral leakage, and care mismatches. Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) is uniquely positioned to address these gaps through rapid triage, stepped‑care routing, and interdisciplinary coordination, but its impact is often limited by operational barriers across scheduling, intake, and transfer workflows. CentraCare developed the Behavioral Health Access Manager (BHAM) role to redesign and govern these “doors,” align metrics, and embed equity-minded, system-wide access standards. Key deliverables include improved access metrics and more consistent LOS decisions, offering a replicable model for health systems seeking practical, scalable solutions aligned with CFHA priorities.

Speakers
Cassandra Sanow-Hansen, MSW, LICSW
Co-Authors
John Schmitz, MD - Medical Director of Behavioral Health, CentraCare
Jody Kirchner, MSW, LICSW - Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, CentraCare
Ryan Engdahl, PhD, LP, MBA - Vice President of Operations, CentraCare
Content Level
Intermediate
Tags
Care management, Innovations, Quality improvement programs
Session Type
Concurrent
Objective 1
Identify three system‑level access barriers unique to hospital‑based behavioral health and map their own organization’s access breakdown points.
Objective 2
Develop a KPI set including but not limited to days‑to‑first appointment, utilization rates, no‑show rate, and LOS accuracy.
Objective 3
Design one process change that would enhance patient access to services and flow through complex hospital systems.
Content Reference 1

Plummer, M. L., Calvello Hynes, E., Fogarty, J., Toro Polanco, N., & Reynolds, T. (2025). Optimizing people’s movement across the health system: A scoping review of referral systems within a primary health care approach. Primary Health Care Research & Development. Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/primary-health-care-research-and-development/article/optimizing-peoples-movement-across-the-health-system-a-scoping-review-of-referral-systems-within-a-primary-health-care-approach/66B27439733D9E656464800B6A2D5CA4

Content Reference 2

Vechiu, C., Zimmermann, M., Zepeda, M., O’Donohue, W. T., & Broten, L. (2024). Referral patterns and sociodemographic predictors of adult and pediatric behavioral health referrals in a federally qualified health center. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 51, 101–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-023-09855-2

Content Reference 3

Vizient/Sg2. (2025). System of CARE scorecard: Q2 2024 to Q1 2025. Vizient, Inc. https://www.vizientinc.com/insights/reports/data-on-the-edge/system-of-care-scorecard-q2-2024-to-q1-2025

Content Reference 4

Harvey, J. (2026, January 12). Why behavioral health operations break during growth — and how to fix them. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-behavioral-health-operations-break-during-growth-how-jamel-harvey-an0me