Array behavioral nursing introduces a model of standardized mental health therapy
Demand for mental health services is growing steadily. However, care is often very inconsistent due to the lack of measurement-based care or the use of repeated patient measurements to track progress.
That's why virtual mental health company Array Array Chandy Care launched a new model called Care Pathways last week. The model is designed to make mental health treatment more consistent and personalized while improving patient outcomes.
Chicago-based Array Behavioral Care provides virtual psychiatry and treatment and provides recommendations with hospitals, health systems, community organizations and payers. With the help of nursing pathways, patients are matched with personalized care plans based on factors such as clinical urgency, acuity, medical and psychiatric history, concurrent conditions, medical history and social determinants of health.
These factors help determine whether a patient needs a therapist, psychiatrist, or both – and the appropriate level of care. The patient's progress is then regularly evaluated and the provider can adjust their care plan accordingly. These assessments include PHQ-9 for depression and GAD-7 for anxiety.
Because the care pathway is embedded in the array’s epic-based platform, clinicians share access to each patient’s physical and behavioral health records. This can improve care coordination and ensure treatment plans are consistent with other providers’ diagnosis and medications, said Dr. Sara Gotheridge, chief medical officer of the company.
“This integration also enables us to support continuous care in various settings, for example, when patients transition from ED access to patient treatment in home clinics. Once there were only patients left to just these transitions, we can now provide a seamless, clinical experience.”
Array Behavioral Care also employs W-2 employees with independent 1099 contractors, which further supports the use of the model. According to Gotheridge, 1099 contractors are not always fully trained and “care in and out according to availability.”
Gotheridge added that when launching the care pathway model, the company ultimately aims to provide more personalized mental health care, which provides better outcomes and “efficient use of clinical resources.”
“By providing care around standardized assessments and clinical metrics, we are able to guide treatment intensity, provider type and access frequency based on each patient’s needs, in addition to adjusting care as the needs evolve,” Gotheridge said. “This approach allows us to reduce variability, apply measurement-based care at large scale, and ensure patients get the right level of support at the right time.”
She added that the array will measure the success of the model by assessing metrics of patient progress, effective care over time, and its impact on outcomes and costs.
Image source: Olga Strelnikova, Getty Images
