The necessity for behavioral well being companies is rising in Colorado, now greater than ever. For all of us on this business, we all know that there’s a want for behavioral healthcare reform in Colorado.
The system is way from excellent. Neighborhood Psychological Well being Facilities are removed from excellent. Nonetheless, throwing daggers at nonprofit organizations who’re the protection internet for susceptible populations, those that are affected by psychological sickness and habit, is just not the answer.
Disparaging articles will adversely influence those that are in want of assist, as they could be reluctant to hunt companies from what could also be their solely supply of hope. The damaging media rhetoric additionally undermines and demotivates a workforce who is devoted to saving lives.
In April of 2021, Rocky Mountain Well being Plans carried out a evaluate of medical data for 112 members who acquired companies from Thoughts Springs Well being or West Springs Hospital. The evaluate was primarily based on considerations about prescribing practices and protocols with benzodiazepines and resulted in a corrective motion plan to deal with security considerations surrounding the prescription of benzodiazepines. The 17-point plan has been totally carried out.
We acknowledge that there was a necessity to boost our insurance policies and procedures for prescribing benzodiazepines. I’m happy that previously 9 months, there have been vital security enhancements made to our prescribing protocols.
Rocky Mountain Well being Plans evaluate additionally discovered that from July 1, 2018 to December 15, 2021, there have been 472 high quality of care considerations — 251 of which had some validity and 68 discovered to have extreme dangers.
High quality of care considerations are occasions that may lead to hurt to a affected person or to the standard of a affected person’s care. These occasions embody sufferers’ complaints, self-harm, deaths, non-compliance with therapy, medical problems, and drugs errors. High quality of care considerations could be attributable to facility-related causes, however they could even be a end result over an occasion the ability has little to no management of, akin to an sickness that was contracted previous to admission to the hospital.
Throughout this identical time interval, our group noticed a consumer rely of almost 30,000 and offered greater than 760,000 companies to those shoppers. High quality of care considerations posing to have “extreme dangers” had been lower than 1 / 4 of 1 p.c of the general care offered.
We completely need to be the most effective at what we do. One individual in danger is one individual too many. We’re audited frequently, and we worth the enter we obtain from the state entities we work with, in addition to Rocky Mountain Well being Plans. By working collectively, we’re in a position to proceed to enhance processes.
Prior to now three months, three members of our govt group have resigned or retired for private causes. We’re making the most of the adjustments in our management to restructure our administration group, whereas additionally inspecting insurance policies and procedures to create improve high quality and entry to care. Now we have additionally not too long ago retained an out of doors marketing consultant to assist assist our inside high quality and compliance division.
Within the weeks forward, Signet Well being, the most important behavioral well being consulting agency within the US (working with greater than 75 hospitals in 30+ states), will start a three-year contract with West Springs Hospital to assist information the group in assembly regulatory necessities, effectively managing operations, and creating discharge/case administration plans, all whereas guaranteeing that high quality of care stays the highest precedence.
On the finish of the day, all of us need the most effective take care of our communities. Thoughts Springs Well being and West Springs Hospital are dedicated to offering the most effective care attainable going ahead, with honesty and integrity.
My door is all the time open. And questions are welcome.
Doug Pattison is interim CEO for Thoughts Springs Well being and West Springs Hospital. 970-683-7150
