Transcript 5x5: Mobilize Local Medical Community

NIATx Accelerating Reform Initiative
Fall River, MA
Nancy Paull, CEO
Pat Emsellem, COO
Madeline Colon-Usowicz, M.D.
1. AIM / Plan:
Mobilize the local medical
community to identify, treat,
and improve outcomes for
addicted individuals and
their families
2. CHANGE /DO
Build on relationships with community
medical providers – Partner with St.
Anne’s Hospital
–
Convene meeting of S-A primary care
providers – 3/31
3. Results/ Study
Two primary care providers who attended the
meeting engage in collaboration.
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Referral/release of information form developed and implemented
Both practices institute drug and alcohol screening (CAGE-AID) for annual
physicals and new admits.
SSTAR Family Health Care Center begins tracking CAGE results in their EHR .
Hotline cell phone established for instant referral access to SSTAR case
manager by participating medical providers.
One of the two participating providers links us to third medical practice that
agrees to participate – meetings at SSTAR and at the practice, adoption of
referral form.
Three referrals made
4. Next Steps/ Act
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Establish baseline – CAGE results plus
tracking of referral outcomes.
Form a change team to improve referral
outcomes. Introduce ARISE family interventions as strategy to
increase treatment engagement?
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Document successes and use to market the
value of screening and SSTAR referrals to
other community providers
5. Impact
New and strengthened partnerships with community medical
providers; increased focus on addressing the problems
associated with managing addicted patients in community
medical settings.
Lessons learned:
Understand the customer: community medical providers want
solution to problem of their “drug-seeking” patients. We have
TA to provide as well as treatment resources.
Understand the customer: their referred patients don’t necessarily
want treatment or believe they need it. Change team needs to
devise interventions to increase success of referrals by
recognizing where patient is in stages of change model.