How Iris Telehealth Helped Expand Access to Care for Union Community Care

Central Minnesota Mental Health Center (CMMHC) needed greater stability within its psychiatry program. As a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), the organization needed psychiatry providers available to prescribe medications, but recruitment and retention had become a revolving door.

Through its partnership with Iris Telehealth, CMMHC gained consistent psychiatric coverage, expanded access to care, and eventually added therapy services to further support the behavioral health needs of its community.

Background

Central Minnesota Mental Health Center acts as a “one stop shop” for individuals in need of mental, behavioral, and physical healthcare. The organization serves approximately 9,000 patients each year across five campuses and four counties.

Meeting the demand for behavioral healthcare presents significant challenges across Minnesota. At the time of the case study, the number of mental and behavioral healthcare providers in the state was able to meet just over 27% of the need for care.

Challenges

After struggling for years to find consistency with in-person psychiatry providers, CMMHC realized it needed an alternative solution.

The organization repeatedly recruited psychiatrists only to have them leave after completing their required length of service, forcing CMMHC to begin the recruitment process again. This lack of continuity had a significant impact on patients who were required to change prescribers repeatedly.

“It was really hard for us to find psychiatrists and keep them in a stable way. It had a significant impact on our clients to have them change prescribers time and time again.”

Steven Loos
Chief Clinical Officer, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center

Solution

As an early adopter of the telepsychiatry model, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center began working with Iris Telehealth early in the company’s history. The partnership made sense from both a financial and clinical perspective.

Initially, Iris provided CMMHC with a Medical Director, a role mandated for CCBHCs, as well as on-call residential support.

Finding psychiatric providers to cover daytime hours for residential, detox, and crisis programs was already challenging. Finding providers willing to provide 24-hour coverage created an additional obstacle. Iris Telehealth helped address that need by providing consistent psychiatric support.

Over time, the relationship expanded to include therapy services from licensed clinical social workers, complementing the psychiatric support CMMHC was already receiving from Iris. Growing demand prompted the organization to expand its clinical staff in a more diverse way.

Results

The partnership with Iris Telehealth helped CMMHC establish greater consistency in its psychiatric services while improving access to care.

“Iris Telehealth solved that problem for us and provided that consistency. It has improved access to care. Telepsychiatry allows us to supplement the in-person work we’re doing.”

Steven Loos
Chief Clinical Officer, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center

That consistency also gave providers more time to establish relationships with the community, helping improve the quality and continuity of care for CMMHC clients. According to Loos, the partnership was also more cost effective.

Looking to the future with Iris Telehealth

What began as a solution for psychiatric provider stability evolved into a broader partnership supporting CMMHC’s ability to meet the behavioral health needs of its community.

With psychiatric support, medical leadership, on-call residential coverage, and licensed clinical social workers supplementing its in-person teams, CMMHC has been able to expand its clinical resources and provide more consistent access to care.

“It’s been a huge help to have Iris Telehealth as a piece of how we can meet the needs of the community.”

Steven Loos
Chief Clinical Officer, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center

Iris Telehealth is proud to partner with organizations like Central Minnesota Mental Health Center to help expand access to quality behavioral healthcare and provide sustainable clinical support for the communities they serve. To learn more about Central Minnesota Mental Health Center’s services and commitment to providing the best possible care for their patient population, you can visit their website here.

If you’d like to learn more about how Iris can help you find the perfect provider match, contact us today for more information!