DAVID LESTER
Amid Mental Health Awareness Month, Mind Springs Health has received the 2019 Sherman Award for Excellence in Patient Engagement, recognizing its “Phase-Based Care” program.
Awarded annually on behalf of EngagingPatients.org, the Sherman Award “recognizes innovative programs that focus on building stronger engagement through deeper, more meaningful communication and relationships with patients and families,” according to the website.
Mind Springs Health’s Phase-based Care was developed by its chief medical officer, Jules Rosen (MD), along with Executive Vice President Michelle Hoy (LPC CAC III) and Quality and Compliance Vice President Dave Hayden (LPC III).
“It’s an honor to be recognized for the work we are doing at Mind Springs Health and we believe that mental health treatment works,” Rosen said in a news release.
“For that reason, we know how critically important it is for those experiencing mental health challenges to access and engage in care rapidly, and to achieve stability as soon as possible,” Rosen added. “We are proud of developing a new care model to better serve and heal people.”
Mind Springs serves numerous Western Slope counties, including Garfield County where it operates an outpatient program facility near Glenwood Springs.
According to the news release, The Rapid Recovery Clinic — the first of the phase-based clinics, treats individuals in the different stages of depression and shortens wait times for treatment, “from the national standard of one-to-three months to only four days.”
A team spanning multi-disciplines meets with a client to discuss treatment options including psychotherapy and medication, as well as case management, peer support and group therapy — which one may attend weekly without an appointment.
“Phase-based care provides the opportunity to be seen more quickly and receive more treatment touch points than traditional care models and results have been significant,” the release stated. “To date, 63 percent of people were considered to be in recovery by week six, with 78 percent achieving recovery by week 12. This recovery rate is two-to-four times greater than national norms.”
The Sherman Award was established in 2014 to recognize excellence in patient engagement across the health care spectrum.
Additionally, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Lucian Leape Institute and Taylor Healthcare confer annually to present the award on behalf of engagingpatients.org, according to the release.
The other Sherman Award recipient for this year was Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts, specifically for the work of its Perioperative Complex Spine Surgery Team.
“Mind Springs Health’s Phase-based Care program received the 2019 Sherman Award for its success in driving results, sustainability, potential for replication, effectiveness in communicating and collaborating and inspirational value,” according to the news release.
