We are proposing an amendment to our existing grant to include two additional grant objectives to help meet Future State Measure #3.
The draft RFP outcomes state:
1. Streamline communication back and forth between primary care providers and specialty behavioral health providers, empowering confidence and trust in the referral, including the behavioral health level of care a person may need.
2. Develop a common, culturally responsive method for screening a patient’s behavioral health acuity. The method should have clear guidelines and language that are understood and usable by specialty behavioral health and primary care organizations.
Regarding outcome #1, we will incorporate workflows for care coordination as part of the trainings we will conduct for behavioral health referrals and tracking metrics through the Unite Us platform (see Objective #3 in original grant). The Unite Us platform is HIPAA compliant, HITRUST certified, and fully aligns with the strictest federal privacy regulations, including 42 CFR Part 2 and FERPA. Once patients are referred from a primary care office to a behavioral health provider, care coordination communications can take place through the Unite Us platform. As part of the trainings, we will develop curriculum and tools to support streamlined information exchange and care coordination between primary care and specialty behavioral health providers.
Regarding outcome #2, further discussions with the subgroup members who developed the draft RFP revealed a desire to improve shared language and step up/step down processes between primary care and specialty behavioral health providers. A further goal is to improve appropriateness of referrals to ensure patients are referred to the right level of care the first time. A new “screening tool” has been ruled out as impractical at this time due to the array of evidence-based screening tools already in use and significant change fatigue around adoption of new screening workflows. To address outcome #2, we are proposing three additional trainings to increase appropriate referrals, transitions of care, and shared language.
In total, we will conduct at least 6 high-quality, CEU-eligible trainings, including developing tools and resources. Trainings will build on the Step Up/Step Down resource guide developed in Central Oregon. We will offer a mix of virtual and in-person learning opportunities in 2023 - 2024. Topics will be focused on the intersection of primary care and specialty behavioral health: Closed-loop referral tracking to the appropriate level of care, collecting and monitoring timely access and engagement metrics, best practices for streamlined communication & care coordination, and step up/step down processes.
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