Title
Power on: The rapid transition of a large interdisciplinary behavioral health department to telemental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
UMMS Affiliation
Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing
Publication Date
2022-02-24
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Behavioral Medicine | Health Services Administration | Infectious Disease | Mental and Social Health | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology | Telemedicine | Virus Diseases
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to telemental health (TMH) for behavioral health services in the behavioral health department of a large integrated primary care organization. Although the COVID-19 pandemic was the initial trigger for rapid organizational change, systems were developed with a focus on longer term scalability and sustainability.
Methods: This paper discusses the process of organizational change within our healthcare delivery system using the Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) framework. Within this framework a structured mixed methods survey of 38 clinicians representing 5 different disciplines was conducted. Internal and survey data were analyzed to evaluate and guide the iterative change process.
Results: The majority of BH clinicians reported that they were as or more effective with TMH. The transition to TMH in our organization resulted in increased access to care, with a 10.3% increase in BH visit completions. The transition to TMH may benefit clinician work-life balance, but requires resources to support clinical, technological, and communication/teamwork changes.
Implications/conclusions: TMH is a feasible treatment modality for integrated care settings. It is cost-effective and well-accepted by clinicians. The SOAR framework can be used to guide rapid organizational change and ongoing QI processes.
Keywords
Behavioral health, COVID-19, Integrated care, Organizational change, SOAR analysis, Telehealth, Telemental health
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100506
Source
Harding SL, Eyllon M, Twigden A, Hogan A, Barry D, Mirsky JE, Barnes B, Nordberg S. Power on: The rapid transition of a large interdisciplinary behavioral health department to telemental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Interprof Educ Pract. 2022 Jun;27:100506. doi: 10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100506. Epub 2022 Feb 24. PMID: 35229056; PMCID: PMC8866964. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Journal of interprofessional education and practice
Related Resources
PubMed ID
35229056
Repository Citation
Harding SL, Eyllon M, Twigden A, Hogan A, Barry D, Mirsky JE, Barnes B, Nordberg S. (2022). Power on: The rapid transition of a large interdisciplinary behavioral health department to telemental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 Publications by UMass Chan Authors. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100506. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/covid19/356