Process improvement for behavioral health

Meet with a Counselor and a Case Manager within 24 Hours of Admission

Problem:

Clients do not connect with their counselor and case manager soon enough after admission.

Solution:

Schedule appointments for each client to meet with their counselor and case manager within 24 hours of admission.

Featured Stories

Perinatal Treatment Services in Seattle, Washington increased continuation beyond four weeks from 67.5 percent to 85.7 percent by scheduling individual sessions with a counselor and case manager within 24 hours of admission to residential treatment. This helped clients know what to expect about reconnecting with their children, dealing with Child Protective Services and probation officers, and address other concerns. It also communicated that the client would have support while in treatment.

SSTAR in Fall River, Massachusetts increased retention in treatment beyond the first two days by 48.7 percent by initiating counselor/client contact as soon as the client arrived for medical detoxification. They placed the admissions counselor office on the first floor next to the waiting room. The counselor would meet/greet clients entering detox while they were still in the waiting room, right after they arrived. Previously, they had clients meet with their counselor within 24 hours of admission; however, they found that clients were anxious when they first arrived and the one-on-one connection early in the process helped them acclimate and get started with treatment on the right foot.

Lessons Learned

  • Schedule appointments with the counselor and case manager before the client arrives and let the client know about the schedule soon after they arrive.
  • Introduce the client to their counselor as part of the admission process.

Tracking Measures

Cycle Measure

Dropout rate

Data Collection Form

Residential Dropout Tracking Spreadsheet

ActionSteps

Plan

  • 1. Collect baseline data for the dropout rate within the first 30 days of residential treatment.

Do

  • 2. Schedule individual sessions with the counselor and case manager, within 24 hours of admission. Let the client know about the appointments during the admission process.
  • 3. Track and calculate the dropout rate.

Study

  • 4. Check the fidelity of the change. Was the change implemented as planned?
  • 5. Evaluate the change:
    • Did the dropout rate decrease?
    • What feedback did the clients provide about meeting with a counselor and case manager within 24 hours of admission?
    • What feedback did the counselor and case manager have about meeting with clients soon after admission?

Act

  • 6. Adjust the process used to schedule meetings with counselor and case manager and re-test this promising practice for an additional two weeks.

Repeat this series of steps until all new clients meet with their counselor and case manager within 24 hours of admission.