What is Behavioral Health Strategy?
From the point of view of the CMS, the behavioral health strategy covers prevention and treatment for mental health services, substance use, crisis, and pain intervention removing barriers and adapting an approach for better behavioral health practices in the United States.
This strategy allows patients and behavioral health providers to reduce barriers such as access, coverage, language, and equity. Primarily focusing on the patient, their communities, and their well-being in general by presenting an action plan that includes, Innovative models, coverage for children, mobile clinics, and use of technology.
The behavioral health strategy lead will be important not only for this strategy, but also, for general behavioral health services. So that professionals and patients can learn and adopt new ways to work with the communities.
Behavioral Health Strategy: First Encounter
One of the barrier breakers for behavioral health services, is to guarantee services to the community where they are. From the patient perspective it will mean that their community clinic, the nearest hospital, or health center is ready to offer service whenever they need it. While finding that many of their patients will be using the services for the first time.
As a behavioral health provider or patient needing behavioral assistance, you may find that first encounters are hard to process. A lot of questions will come to your mind regarding the other person, and how the treatment and process will go with them. Consequently, a lot of pressure can be set up based on the first impressions for both.
Based on that, the behavioral health strategy team needs to conduct processes to be prepared for their patients. Such as access to clinical history and finding the best method to meet the patient. Additionally, being open about resources that can be used to provide the correct treatment for each case.
Exploring new ways to provide and receive mental health services, significative improves the quality of the services. Resulting in a higher adherence to the treatment and breaking the barriers to services that the patients were facing.
Use of Technology for First Encounters
Technology has been working in a pro to attend to the difficulties that as a behavioral management team you may find. Or as a patient with a lot of questions and doubts.
The use of telehealth services can reach patients from the comfort of their homes or neutral space. Finding that in many opportunities this will reduce the anxiety that the reunion may lead in patients. And will increase the access to resources for the behavioral health team in the facilities.
