Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Primary Care: A Clinician's Toolkit

American Academy Of Pediatrics

ISBN 10: 1581103484 ISBN 13: 9781581103489

Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010

Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Primary Care brings together a myriad of ready-to-use resources and tools on one instant-access CD-ROM. Toolkit includes: screening, assessment instruments, quick-reference, care management advice, step-by-step care plans, time-saving documentation and referral tools, coding aids, billing and payment tips, parent handouts, community resource guides...and much more. Algorithm-based guidance, indexed to CPT codes, outlines a process for care and billing. Succinct clinical tools provide step-by-step decision support for assessment and care of children with the most common mental health symptoms: anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior and aggression, inattention and impulsivity, substance use, learning difficulties, and social-emotional problems in young children. Tools and resources can be printed and distributed as needed. Many will be continuously refreshed through Web-based updates. This toolkit is intended to enhance the quality of mental health care children and adolescents receive, whether in the medical home itself or through the medical home.

The toolkit has been organized according to the chronic care principles and has 5 sections:

Community Resources provides templates for creating an inventory of community mental health resources, a description of key services needed by children and families with mental health concerns, and guidance to assist clinicians in developing collaborative relationships with community providers of key services.

Health Care Financing assists the primary care clinician in creating a business framework for the mental health services provided by the practice. It provides guidance in addressing third-party payment issues and provides resources to assist with coding and billing effectively.

Support for Children and Families provides resources to engage families in help-seeking and self-help and ensure the family-friendliness of the practice. It also includes resources to address stigma, confidentiality, and the needs of adolescents and special populations; and tools to identify children involved in the specialty system, ensure a positive first contact with the practice, assist families in the referral process, and assess the quality of mental health care provided in the practice.

Clinical Information Systems/Delivery System Redesign provides resources to create registries of children with mental health problems; use office systems to track children referred for specialty care and monitor those on psychosocial therapy and psychotropic medications; put into place a plan for managing psychiatric and social emergencies; develop collaborative care plans; and prepare for participation in the full range of integrated models.

Decision Support for Clinicians provides resources to assist clinicians in selecting validated functional assessment tools, screening and surveillance instruments, and instruments to assess children whose screening results or clinical findings suggest the presence of a mental health or substance abuse problem; identify reliable, current sources of information concerning diagnostic classification of mental health problems and evidence about the safety and efficacy of treatment; develop and implement evidence-based protocols; and establish a consultative relationship with a psychiatrist.

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About the Author:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. The AAP is the largest pediatric publisher in the world, with a diverse list of resources that includes essential clinical and practice management titles and award-winning books for parents.

Review:

Doodys 5-Star Review!

This resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics on caring for children with mental health problems provides information and education that is critical and, frankly lacking in most primary care settings. The computer-based format makes it easy to access and use.
This resource was created to help any primary care provider who works with children or adolescents, including physicians, residents, and nurse practitioners. The toolkit provides a number of useful materials including pamphlets, flow charts, and most importantly, the CD which provides extensive information and resources. Various algorithms are available for use to help providers in not only the assessment of mental health problems but also in helping provide services through protocols and creation of referral databases.

The purpose of the toolkit is to enhance the mental health specialty care provided to children and adolescents. This is an essential resource that was created in response to a critical need. Primary care providers must be capable of recognizing and appropriately managing mental health problems in children and adolescents.

Susan Fielkow, MD, FAAC, Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Doody's Review

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