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Patient safety survey reflects need for greater care coordination among providers
Ways YOU can promote patient safety in 2023
Each year, Magellan conducts the behavioral health patient safety survey with our network providers. If you completed our patient safety survey in 2022, thank you for participating, and most importantly for ensuring your clinical practices promote patient safety!
We distribute the survey to inpatient and residential facilities, and psychiatrists practicing in groups or in individual practice. The survey asks questions about activities and monitoring processes that relate to behavioral health safety measures, including coordination and transition of care, as well as medication management.
Magellan focuses on patient safety in two major areas of care and service that are vital to improving member outcomes:
- Communication across the continuum of care and especially at times of transition.
- Coordination of care between behavioral health providers.
- Coordination of care between behavioral health providers and PCPs.
- Medication management and medication reconciliation including:
- The use of second-generation antipsychotics per APA guidelines.
- The use of anti-craving medications to support abstinence.
- Performing weight/waist circumference/lab tests at start of medication, as a repeat measure, and assessing for movement side effects using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS).
The overall survey response rate in 2022 (14.4%) remained about the same as the 2021 rate (14.7%) but was lower than the response rate in 2020 (16.8%).
|
Key Survey Items |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
|
Percentage of Positive Responses: (Always or Often) |
Bold=improved from 2021 to 2022 |
||
|
Contact patient’s primary care provider (PCP) to share information about the case |
47.1% |
43.1% |
55% |
|
Discuss history of adverse medication reactions with PCP |
49.1% |
51% |
58.8% |
|
Provide discharge instructions or treatment summary to patient |
77.3% |
74.3% |
83.6% |
|
Send discharge summary and labs to PCP |
59.7% |
55.4% |
64.6% |
|
Assess medication compliance at each visit |
88.5% |
87.7% |
98.4% |
|
Develop a plan if history of medication non-compliance is noted |
90.2% |
89.8% |
95.6% |
|
Prescribe anti-craving medication to support abstinence |
65.6% |
70.2% |
70.9% |
|
Send information about medication to other treating providers |
83.2% |
78.1% |
89.3% |
|
Perform weight/waist circumference/lab tests at start of medication |
77.6% |
76.5% |
89.1% |
While progress is noted in most of the measures for 2022, it is still not at pre-COVID levels. The new challenges of virtual visits, limited staffing and closed offices require each provider and facility to develop new ways to promote patient safety. Here are a few suggestions based on the survey results.
Ways YOU can promote patient safety in 2023:
- Communicate with treating providers and/or PCPs, via email, phone, fax or mail. See our sample Clinician Communication Form (PDF).
- Educate patients and family members as appropriate about benefits, risks and side effects of medications.
- Prescribe anti-craving medication to support abstinence.
- Share discharge summaries with patients, other behavioral health providers and the patient’s PCP to improve coordination of care.
- Perform weight/waist circumference/lab tests at the start of medication, as a repeat measure, and assess for movement side-effects using the AIMS.
Magellan continues to evaluate patient safety best practices and support providers by reporting insights from these surveys that can aid in improving member care. Watch for the 2023 Patient Safety Survey coming your way in the fall.
We appreciate your responses and assistance with our quality improvement activities. Please contact Bonita Anderson, senior director of quality, at AndersonB2@MagellanHealth.com with questions or feedback.