Array Behavioral Care, the largest telepsychiatry service provider organization in the country and a thought leader in modern behavioral care, announced an expanded partnership with United Physicians, one of the country’s largest primary care professional organizations, on a new telebehavioral Collaborative Care Model for adolescents at participating pediatrician offices in Michigan. A first of its kind, the pediatric Collaborative Care Model comes on the heels of a recently launched, immediately successful behavioral care program by Array and United Physicians targeting adults in primary care settings. Both the adult and pediatric programs are rapidly expanding to new practices across Michigan.
As a result of the rise in demand for behavioral care needs among children and teens, the Collaborative Care Model has emerged as a key component of behavioral health integration in pediatric settings. Research shows that there are only nine psychiatrists per 100,000 people, and child and adolescent specialists are in even shorter supply. Under the new Array and United Physicians Collaborative Care Model, a participating pediatrician works closely with Array’s behavioral health professionals to provide timely access to scarce child psychiatric resources. By connecting pediatricians with child and adolescent psychiatrists virtually, Array and United Physicians empower PCPs to manage more care needs in the primary care environment consumers are familiar with. Not only does this remove barriers to access and minimize referral follow-up issues, but it also helps remove stigmas associated with mental health treatment by connecting the treatment to the established PCP–consumer relationship.
In the program, pediatricians identify consumers between the ages of 12 and 18 in need of behavioral health care through screenings, such as PHQ-9 (depression) and GAD-7 (anxiety). Once a consumer is identified, the pediatrician discusses program enrollment with the consumer and works with Array’s behavioral health care managers and consulting psychiatrist on a treatment plan. The program is integrated clinically as well as operationally. Array primary care professionals work within pediatricians’ EMRs to see and suggest prescriptions for medications. Additionally, the teams utilize detailed registries to track consumers’ progress over time. What’s more, these Collaborative Care services are not only scalable and available to pediatric practices of all sizes, but are a covered benefit under consumers’ health plans, making this critical behavioral care financially accessible to both consumers and primary care professionals.
The pediatric Collaborative Care Model follows the launch of a successful adult model between Array and United Physicians, which has achieved sustained improvements on PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores among adults enrolled in the program. Consumer-reported measures indicate that consumers feel improvement in dealing with anxiety and depression, are better able to engage in activities of daily living, and are more satisfied with their lives and relationships as a result of the program.
Array Behavioral Care (formerly InSight + Regroup) is the leading and largest telepsychiatry service provider organization in the country with a mission to transform access to quality, timely behavioral health care. Array offers telepsychiatry solutions and services across the continuum of care, from hospital to home, through its OnDemand, Scheduled, and AtHome divisions. For more than 20 years, Array has partnered with hundreds of hospitals and health systems, community health care organizations, and payers of all sizes to expand access to care and improve outcomes for underserved individuals, facilities, and communities. As an industry pioneer and established thought leader, Array has helped shape the field, define the standard of care, and advocate for improved telepsychiatry-friendly regulations.
United Physicians, Inc. (UP), is one of Michigan’s largest independent primary care professional organizations, representing 2,200 primary care professionals with medical staff privileges at hospitals throughout Southeast Michigan. UP’s mission is to deliver a health care system of excellence to its community through a coordinated, efficient, and integrated network of primary care professionals.
This was reported by Array Behavioral Care on September 8, 2021.
Contact information: Array Behavioral Care, 1120 NJ-73, Suite #300, Mount Laurel Township, NJ 08054; 800-442-8938; Website: https://arraybc.com/
Contact information: United Physicians, 30600 Telegraph Rd Ste 4000, Bingham Farms, MI 48025; 248-593-0100; Email: clientservices@updoctors.com; Website: https://www.updoctors.com/
