Name
Process Improvement for Increasing Same-Day Access in PCMHI
Description

This presentation and panel discussion will teach the audience how to increase same day access in integrated care through the use of an online referral form on Microsoft Teams Chat and hybrid virtual/in person care. In an effort to increase access to same-day services across the 11 locations, the STL PCHI program implemented an online notification form available in Microsoft Teams. The goals of the form included: increase ease of referral for busy primary care providers, increase engagement of PCMHI providers working virtually, equal distribution of warm hand-offs across the team of psychologists, and monitoring of response time to PCP requests. The form has proven to distribute work across each location, allows for team support during high demand days and/or provider absence, and increased communication among PCMHI providers regarding nuances of clinical care and sharing information about VA and community resources, and provision of immediate emotional support for providers facing challenging clinical situations. The implementation of this form is one of the major factors contributing to VISN leading same-day access numbers at the St. Louis VAMC as well as low employee turnover rates relative to specialty care clinics.

Co-Authors
Abigail E. Ramon, PhD
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Collaborative Care Model of Integrated Care, Primary Care Behavioral Health Model, Quality improvement programs, Telehealth
Session Type
Poster
Objective 1
Identify 4 goals of the use of an online notification form available in Microsoft TEAMS (the WHO form.)
Objective 2
Identify the impact of inter-team collaboration on employee resilience
Objective 3
Identify the impact of the use of an online notification form available in Microsoft TEAMS (the WHO form) on same-day access (average per month) and average number of new patients seen same-day per month.
Content Reference 1

1.Funderburk, Jennifer S.; Shepardson, Robyn; Beehler, Gregory; Possemato, Kyle; Perry, Kristen; Shook, Christina; Martin, Jessica; and Dollar, Katherine (2025) 1. "Improving the Quality of Veteran Health Care by Optimizing VA Integrated Primary Care: 20 Years and Beyond of the Center for Integrated Healthcare," The Journal of Integrated Primary Care: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/jipc/vol2/iss1/1

Content Reference 2

2.Woodward EN, Cornwell BL, Wray LO, Pomerantz AS, Kirchner JE, McCarthy JF, Kearney LK. Impact of Primary Care-Mental Health Care Integration on Mental Health Care Engagement Across Racial and Ethnic Groups. Psychiatr Serv. 2024 Apr 1;75(4):369-377. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20220631. Epub 2024 Feb 7. PMID: 38321918.

Content Reference 3

Palmer CS, Brown Levey SM, Kostiuk M, Zisner AR, Tolle LW, Richey RM, Callan S. Virtual Care for Behavioral Health Conditions. Prim Care. 2022 Dec;49(4):641-657. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2022.04.008. Epub 2022 Oct 20. PMID: 36357068; PMCID: PMC9581698.