PMID: 9175193Jun 1, 1997Paper

Management for quality: continuous quality improvement to increase access to outpatient mental health services

Psychiatric Services : a Journal of the American Psychiatric Association
G A Keller

Abstract

A health maintenance organization (HMO) examined whether continuous quality improvement could be used to address the problem of long waiting times for outpatient mental health services from a closed panel of providers during peak periods of demand. A task force at a staff model HMO in Burlington, Vermont, used continuous quality improvement methods to identify and solve specific service access problems in five categories: quality, protocol, and standards; systems and processes; management and administration; clinical practice management; and public relations and marketing. Over a two-year period, the task force identified 13 specific problems, for which solutions were implemented. For example, two new support positions were created to meet clinicians' needs. Triage categories were defined, and acceptable waiting times for appointments, along with goals for percent compliance, were established. A weekly training program in brief psychotherapy and an extensive group psychotherapy program were implemented. A network of community providers was formed to complement the HMO's fixed provider panel during periods of high demand. The average waiting time was reduced from 22 days to six days, and patients' satisfaction increased markedly...Continue Reading

Citations

Jan 4, 2013·Community Mental Health Journal·Anna M L WestinSharon H Stephan
Sep 30, 2010·Journal of Mental Health·John KowalColleen Macphee
Sep 18, 1998·The Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement·H D HadjistavropoulosG Bartlett

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